Bold Voices eNews

Sign Up for Summer Camp!

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:36:25 PDT

Girls Inc. offers two empowering summer day camps for local girls
By Myranda Warden & Jessica Morris, Summer Camp Coordinators

Looking for an affordable, positive, and fun place for your girl to spend her summer? Check out Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis’ summer day camps for girls ages 6-14!

Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis has two empowering summer camp programs for greater Indianapolis girls. The Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis “Making Herstory” Day Camp is an eight-week program (split into four two-week sessions) that focuses on the words in our mission statement – strong, smart, bold, and inspired. Camp GEMS (Girls Energized by Math and Science) is a two-week math and science camp for girls ages 11-14 that will focus on “Going Green” in 2010.

Catch a glimpse of what’s in store for our 2010 summer camp by watching this video of our 2009 Camp GEMS!

Help girls you know get involved in Girls Inc.’s summer camp programs! Registration for both camps is now available online!

Need a Speaker?

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:44:50 PDT

Girls Inc. speakers share their stories with community
By Abri Hochstetler, AmeriCorps VISTA Public Relations Specialist

Looking for a fresh voice to spice up your group’s next meeting? Check out the Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis speakers bureau! At your event, our speakers will share their unique stories and highlight ways your group can engage with Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis.

In her first speech, 15 year-old speaker Jade described how Girls Inc. encouraged her to keep an open mind and offered opportunities for her to help others. In 2009, she worked with other girls to develop a service project benefitting The Julian Center. Girls wrote a grant proposal, built and painted picnic tables with positive messages, and aspired to stop the circle of violence. For Jade, being involved with Girls Inc. helped her engage with the community.

Learn more about Girls Inc.’s speakers bureau and how you can have an inspiring girl like Jade speak at your organization’s next meeting.

Request a speaker for your upcoming meeting by submitting an online request form. Contact speakers@girlsincindy.org with questions or for more information.

Check out a speaker in action! Pat Wachtel, Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis’s president and CEO, will share her story on Thursday, March 25th at 4 p.m. in the University of Indianapolis Schwitzer Student Center. The speaking engagement is co-sponsored by the UIndy (University of Indianapolis) Leadership Series and the Richard G. Lugar Center for Tomorrow's Leaders.

Trailblazing Volunteers Set Example for Girls

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:44:18 PDT

Lunch Bunch participants inspired by some of Coca-Cola’s first female leaders
By LaTasha Hudson, Volunteer Partnership Coordinator

Girls Inc. volunteers Jane Grout and Melanie Jones are history-makers. As the market unit vice president (Indiana) and the sales center manager (Indiana) respectively, Grout and Jones are the first women in history to hold these esteemed positions at Coca-Cola Enterprises. Today, these trailblazing women are sharing their stories with Girls Inc. girls.

During their Lunch Bunch program at North Wayne Elementary School, female Coca-Cola Enterprises employees (including Grout and Jones) taught girls about different career choices as well as how to set goals to achieve their personal career aspirations. The Coca-Cola volunteers shared some of their own professional experiences, led a hands-on activity for the group, and inspired the girls to think about their career goals.

Girls Inc. wants to thanks Coca-Cola Enterprises volunteers Kim Croom, Jane Grout, Melanie Jones, Amanda Baran, and Michelle Wallace for being such strong, smart, and boldSM career mentors for greater Indianapolis girls!

Read more about Girls Inc.’s volunteer partnership with Coca-Cola Enterprises, and find out how your company can become a volunteer partner with Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis!

Program Spotlight -- Redefining Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:43:14 PDT

Participants in program redefine "beauty" and boost self-esteem
By Christy Barlow, Director of Programs

This year, Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis is featuring a series of stories detailing specific programs we offer to girls. This month, we'll highlight our Redefining Beauty program.

Girls and young women today face increasingly stringent societal pressures to achieve the ‘ideal’ body type. Often they internalize these expectations and body image begins to replace their overall self perception. Recent studies show that many girls are affected by unrealistic images that turn into an unhealthy reality.

Redefining Beauty encourages girls to confront body image stereotypes while identifying healthy lifestyle habits. Activities in this curriculum vary according to age group and include:

6-8 year old girls learn definitions of self-esteem and talk about why it’s important, sketch their ideas about the session topic in a Beauty Sketchbook, and examine what beauty means for Disney Princesses and the girls they see on television.
9-11 year old girls think critically about beauty stereotypes in teen magazines, write commercials with their own definition of beauty, and discuss how their body is not an object but an agent which can accomplish their goals.
12-14 year old girls create collages differentiating between realistic and unrealistic images of women, identify individual strengths of their bodies, and break away from bad body thoughts by popping balloons with their own bad thoughts written on them.

Redefining Beauty is delivered by highly trained facilitators using Girls Inc. curriculum at our program partners’ facilities and is offered on a rotating calendar during fall, winter, and spring cycles. The program is six sessions and is delivered in a one-hour format. Visit our website to learn more about volunteering or other programs.

Featured Supporter -- Lilly Endownment Inc.

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:41:23 PDT

Two-year grant supports Girls Inc.'s outreach model, girl-specific programming
By Kristen Bax, AmeriCorps VISTA Grant Writing Specialist

One of the most important aspects of Girls Inc. programming is the inclusive, all-girl environment. In our all-girl setting, girls have the chance to be themselves and talk openly about sensitive subjects, such as body image, puberty, and conflicts between friends. Many girls cite the comfortable environment as one of the main reasons they love Girls Inc. programs. Bella, age 13, said “I’m myself [during Girls Inc. programs]. It’s just girls; there’s no pressure.” Tina, age 12, said “Girls never really get a chance to be by themselves. They should always have time to be in an all-girl environment and not worry about guys.”

Funders such as Lilly Endowment Inc. enable Girls Inc. to provide greater Indianapolis girls with educational programs delivered in all-girl settings. Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis received a grant of $300,000 over two years from Lilly Endowment in support of our outreach expansion model. With this generous gift, we are continuing to create new partnerships, recruit more volunteers, and expand our programs to serve more greater Indianapolis girls with our interactive, girl-specific programs.

Thank you to Lilly Endowment Inc. for your continued support of Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis!

Volunteer Profile

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:40:33 PDT

Sharon Gatlin-Chambers

"We had them talk it out and by the end of the program, they all hugged each other."

Read more...

Delana Patterson

"Don’t let anyone tell you who you can or can’t be.”

Read more...

Tell a Girl a Tip

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:39:16 PDT

Find ways to love who you are.

If you take a moment to tell a girl all the remarkable things you see in her, not only will she believe you, she'll also start to believe in herself.

Just a Reminder...

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:38:54 PDT

Register your girls for one of Girls Inc.’s empowering summer camps!
Request to have a Girls Inc. speaker at your next meeting!
Learn more about Girls Inc.'s six AmeriCorps*VISTA Summer Associate Positions, or refer someone you know

Meet the 2010 Touchstone Awards Chair!

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:53:33 PST

Former honoree Carolene Mays to chair July 28 luncheon
By Ashley Craig, AmeriCorps VISTA Events Specialist

Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis is pleased to announce that Carolene Mays will chair the 2010 Touchstone Awards luncheon! As a former Touchstone honoree herself, Mays represents the strong, smart, and bold qualities celebrated at the Touchstone Awards, and her involvement will ensure the event is memorable.

Mays is the publisher and president of the Indianapolis Recorder, the nation’s fourth-oldest African American newspaper, and the Indiana Minority Business Magazine. Since taking over the Recorder in 1998, Mays has been a catalyst for change, redesign, and growth of the newspaper, increasing its readership dramatically by over 50% to nearly 100,000. Mays also served three terms as Indiana state representative of District 94, retiring in November 2008.

Please save the date for the 2010 Touchstone Awards to be held Wednesday, July 28 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. Add the 2010 Touchstone Awards to your calendar! (iCal, 2 KB)

Girls Inc. Pilots Parent Workshop!

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:51:13 PST

Partnership with PTA council allows parents to continue Girls Inc. conversations
By Christy Barlow, Director of Programs

Though Girls Inc.’s mission is to “inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and boldSM,” some parents were part of the action this winter.

Through a pilot-partnership with Marion County Council of PTAs (Parent Teacher Association), Girls Inc. facilitated its first parent workshop at Brookview Elementary School in January. Teachers, parents, and administrators at the workshop engaged in activities that exposed the differences in real images of models vs. their airbrushed image counterparts.

The Dove Evolution video provides a compelling visual of how drastic these changes can be to retouched images (see image at right). The workshop initiated thought-provoking dialogue and outlined real life scenarios about the media today’s girls are consuming. One father was flabbergasted as he viewed an airbrushed picture of a model. “Who knew?” he asked repeatedly.

This workshop encouraged parents to get involved and taught them ways to continue positive conversations with their girls outside of the Girls Inc. program. Learn more about our bold programs or program partners at our website.

Volunteers Spread the Word!

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:46:38 PST

Girls Inc. encourages volunteers to share experiences via blogs, social media
By LaTasha Hudson, Volunteer Partnership Coordinator

Abigail Coleman is a proud Girls Inc. volunteer – she’s got the blog post to prove it!

Through her involvement with the Women's Fund of Central Indiana and the Junior League of Indianapolis, Coleman was familiar with Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis and had the opportunity last fall to volunteer as a program facilitator. She led a Work It Out program for 6-8 year old girls in a Pike Township elementary school. The volunteer experience was so rewarding for Coleman that she decided to share her experience – via the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana blog.

Here’s some of what she had to say: “A program like this is needed for girls of any age, especially with examples of unhealthy relationships so prevalent in the media. In six weeks we covered a lot of ground…I was impressed at the thoughtful conversations, positive feedback, and progress we seemed to make with many girls. At the end of the program, the girls were eager for it to continue and to share their favorite moments. Many shared one of my favorite lessons, the ‘Put-Up Party,’ when they wrote and shared positive statements about each girl in the room.”

Through their service, Girls Inc. volunteers make a huge difference for greater Indianapolis girls, and we encourage our volunteers to spread the word about Girls Inc. and share their great experiences with the world. Follow Abigail’s example and write a blog post. Update your facebook page or comment on ours. Tweet. Email your friends and/or colleagues. However you choose to share your experience, please don’t forget to tell us about it!

Program Spotlight -- Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy (PAP)

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:45:27 PST

Program empowers participants to seek out healthy relationships
By Alison Schumacher, Vice President of Development and Public Relations

Last month, we kicked off a series of stories detailing specific Girls Inc. programs. This month, we’ll highlight our Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy (PAP) program.

PAP provides girls with skills to navigate social pressures regarding sexuality, seek out healthy relationships, and avoid unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Following more than a decade-long decline in teen pregnancy in the U.S., the Guttmacher Institute, whose goal is to advance sexual and reproductive health worldwide, released a report indicating that teen pregnancy rose 3% in 2006. This startling data underscores the need for our PAP programs, which use age-appropriate activities to deliver important information to girls.

6-8 year old girls participate in Body Basics which was developed in response to the recent phenomenon of early puberty, occurring for some girls as young as age seven. This program’s goal is to assure each girl that whenever her body starts to develop is the right time for her.
9-11 year old girls participate in Growing TogetherSM which is a joint program for girls and a caring adult in their lives. The program facilitates positive communication between girls and adults about information and values related to sexuality and relationships.
12-14 year old girls participate in Will Power, Won’t PowerSM which helps girls understand the differences between types of relationships, define the meaning of abstinence, learn female anatomy and physiology, dispel myths about sexuality, explore medically factual information, and set goals for their futures.

Our programs are delivered by highly trained facilitators using Girls Inc. curriculum at our program partners’ facilities, and are offered on a rotating calendar during fall, winter, spring, and summer program cycles. They range from 4-6 sessions and are each in a one hour format. Visit our website to learn more about volunteering or other programs.

Featured Supporter -- USA Funds

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:51:48 PST

USA Funds support educates Lunch Bunch participants to diverse career options
By Kristen Bax, AmeriCorps VISTA Grant Writing Specialist

In Girls Inc.'s Lunch Bunch program, girls have the opportunity to sit down for a one-hour lunch with female community leaders who serve as career mentors. Through activities and discussion, these career mentors introduce girls to a variety of career fields, such as banking and engineering, in addition to encouraging girls to start making preparations now in order to achieve professional success. In the thank-you letters to her career mentor, Makayla, age 10, wrote “Thank you for helping me understand what I need to do to become a doctor. I had no idea you had to be good in math and science. Luckily, I’m good in math!”

Girls Inc. provides Lunch Bunch programs to greater Indianapolis girls thanks to the generosity of funders such as USA Funds. USA Funds is a nonprofit corporation that works to enhance postsecondary preparedness, access, and success by providing and supporting financial and other valued services. Girls Inc. received a $30,000 grant from USA Funds in support of our Smart College and Career Planning programming. This generous gift will allow us to continue providing our creative programs, including Lunch Bunch, to greater Indianapolis girls.

Thank you to USA Funds for its continued support of Girls Incorporated of Greater Indianapolis’ programs and girls!

Volunteer Profile

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:44:28 PST

Sarah Holsapple (Cornell)

"It's most important for the girls that they were outside their comfort zone.”

Read more...

Tell A Girl Tip

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:44:18 PST

Tell a girl trusted adults are there to help her.

If you take a moment to tell a girl all the remarkable things you see in her, not only will she believe you, she'll also start to believe in herself.

Just A Reminder...

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:43:49 PST

Order your Valentine's Day flowers from McNamara Florist, and use code GINC9 to donate 5% of your transaction to Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis!
Add the 2010 Touchstone Awards to your calendar for July 28th!
Connect with Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

Making History in Hendricks County!

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:41:15 PST

Girls Inc. delivers first-ever program to Hendricks County girls
By Pat Wachtel, President & CEO

Girls Inc. has crossed the line – the county line, that is. This fall, we delivered our first program in Hendricks County, marking a goal for expansion we set for ourselves two years ago.

At Brownsburg West Middle School, a class of 12-14 year olds participated in a Work It Out program, which empowers girls to negotiate the conflict in their lives. Activities during the six-session program help girls build empathy towards others while challenging them to understand the consequences of hurtful behavior. Program specialist Myranda Warden commented, “Our biggest success was that this was a combination of girls who wouldn’t normally interact, yet they connected on a personal level.” Read more about this milestone.

Watch Christy Barlow, director of programs, describe how an organization becomes a Girls Inc. program partner.

Girls Inc. welcomes Brownsburg West Middle School as a partner and looks forward to delivering additional programs there during our 2010 winter and spring cycles!

Fall, By The Numbers!

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:28:10 PST

Girls Inc. celebrates record-breaking fall cycle of programming
By Christy Barlow, Director of Programs

Fall 2009 was a season of new records for Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis. Our outreach model experienced immense growth as we utilized a record number of volunteers to deliver an increased number of programs to more girls than in any previous program cycle. This growth also contributed to our biggest accomplishment yet – serving over 2,500 girls with Girls Inc. programs in 2009!

Take a look at Girls Inc.'s fall programming, by the numbers!

56 – the total number of Girls Inc. programs delivered this fall.
32 – the total number of partners who offered Girls Inc programs this fall.
9 – the number of new community partners who offered Girls Inc. programs. We were pleased to welcome IPS 58, Imagine Indiana Life Sciences Academy West, IPS 61, Starfish Initiative, Key Learning North Campus, Kaleidoscope, Concord Neighborhood Center, Brownsburg West Middle, and Heather Hills Elementary to our list of valued partners!
2 – the number of new hubs that were established. Warren Township and Hendricks County are now offering Girls Inc programs!
58 – the total number of volunteers who facilitated programs. In addition to individual volunteers, we were also fortunate to have both the Junior League of Indianapolis and the IU School of Nursing supply us with amazing women to deliver our programs.
876 – the record number of girls who participated in Girls Inc. programs in fall!

Welcome to Girls Inc.'s VISTAs!

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:22:34 PST

New VISTA members will enhance Girls Inc's public relations, special events
By Ashley Crockett-Lohr, Public Relations Coordinator

On Nov. 23, Girls Inc. welcomed two AmeriCorps VISTA members, Ashley Craig and Abri Hochstetler, to our team. Click on their names to learn more about their backgrounds and upcoming projects!

Program Spotlight -- Work It Out

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:15:27 PST

Program empowers participants to negotiate conflict and be allies to each other
By Alison Schumacher, Vice President of Development and Public Relations

Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis delivers empowering programs to girls age 6-18 in the Indianapolis area. But what exactly are those programs? Beginning this month, we’re kicking off a series of stories detailing specific Girls Inc. programs. This month, we’ll focus on Work It Out, highlighted in our story about our new Hendricks County partnership (above).

Work It Out empowers girls to negotiate the conflict in their lives. Activities help girls build empathy towards others while challenging them to understand the consequences of hurtful behavior. All of our programs are age-appropriate, so while the overall messages fit under the same theme, the specific activities vary for each age group.

6-8 year old girls learn positive aspects of friendship, how to react in a bullying situation, constructive communication and effective conflict solving.
9-11 year old girls learn about sisterhood, building trust and respect, distinguishing between being mad and being mean, and being an ally to other girls who are being hurt.
12-14 year old girls create a vision for positive interaction with other females, reflect on experiences through conflict scenarios, analyze the messages they receive about relationships, and learn to de-escalate anger or frustration.

Work It Out was one of the most popular programs chosen by our partners in 2009. Our programs are delivered by highly trained facilitators using Girls Inc. curriculum at our program partners’ facilities, and are offered on a rotating calendar during fall, winter, spring, and summer program cycles. They range from 4-6 sessions and are each in a one hour format. Visit our website to learn more about volunteering or other programs.

Featured Supporter -- Efroymson Family Fund

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:03:29 PST

Support from Efroymson Family Fund empowers girls to "work it out"
By Kristen Bax, AmeriCorps VISTA Grant Writing Specialist

In Girls Inc.’s Work it Out program, girls define the attributes that make a good friend. Through an interactive activity, they create a “good friendship application” to list the qualities a good friend should possess. Some qualities include being kind, funny, and honest. Elle, age 10, said the program taught her “how to treat others fairly and how to have fun in a respectful way.”

The generous support of funders like the Efroymson Family Fund, a donor-advised fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation, allows Girls Inc. to provide empowering programs like Work it Out to greater Indianapolis girls. The Efroymson Fund awarded a grant to Girls Inc. in support of our outreach expansion efforts. This gift will help Girls Inc. reach more girls throughout the greater Indianapolis area with our creative, educational programming.

Many thanks to the Efroymson Family Fund for its continued support of Girls Incorporated of Greater Indianapolis!

Volunteer Profiles

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:49:13 PST

Trudy Self

"Girls Inc. gives them a safe environment to share feelings.”

Read more...

Katie Shaw

"I wanted them to know now what I wish I would have known then.”

Read more...

Tell A Girl Tip

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:42:06 PST

Tell a girl she can be a great friend to her peers.

If you take a moment to tell a girl all the remarkable things you see in her, not only will she believe you, she'll also start to believe in herself.

Just A Reminder...

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:41:49 PST

Learn more about becoming a Girls Inc. program partner!
Sign up to volunteer with Girls Inc!
Connect with Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

This Is What 40 Looks Like!

noreply@blogger.com (Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:29:34 PST

Girls Inc. girls benefit from a 40th anniversary year filled with milestones

By Pat Wachtel, President & CEO

What does 40 look like? Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis has asked ourselves this very question for the past 12 months, and we've discovered that 40 has many "faces" for local girls. Here are some examples of what we've seen during this milestone year:

40 Girls Inc. young alumnae boldly speaking out about their lives and futures;

40 Touchstone honorees inspiring women of all ages to be strong, smart, and boldSM;

42 women answering the call to serve local girls by applying to volunteer during our recent "40 Volunteers in 40 Days" campaign; and

47 program partners seeing positive changes in their girls who complete Girls Inc.'s educational, empowering programs.

See for yourself what 40 looks like by checking out a slideshow of photos from throughout Girls Inc.'s 40th anniversary year!