Programs

Our current Girl Smarts 101 and 202 programs include 12 separate 90 minute workshops. These sessions focus on strength, confidence building, body image, relationships and leadership.

Series 1 (101 Workshops)

“Face to Face” – During this workshop we teach the girls the importance of presenting a strong first impression. We go over the basics of how to properly shake hands; the importance of good posture and how quickly people will assess them based on their first introductions. In an age of electronics, we teach and practice the art of conversation and give them strategies to help them comfortably maintain eye contact with their peers and adults .

“Words Count – and sometimes they hurt” – The first of two sessions on bullying, our “Words Count” workshop sensitizes the girls to the impacts and outcomes of bullying behavior. Through skits, interactive play and the creation of life size paper dolls; the girls come to understand and empathize with their peers who are experiencing bullying. We teach them who the bully is and why the bully may be targeting them.

“What cha gonna do?” – The second part of our series on bullying, Girl Smarts gives the girls specific strategies and tools to stand against negative inputs from others. Through guided interactive sessions, the girls actually “talk back” to the bully and learn to “break contact” from a position of strength.

“Values – The real gems in life”: Our values session is one of our best received by the girls. During this workshop, the girls consider the importance of living a values based life. We work with them in small groups to talk about what values are, and then help them identify what they believe the top values in their lives are. By discussing real world, tough scenarios and asking what they would do in specific situations; we tie their values to their decisions.

“I can relate – Building healthy friendships and being a good friend” – This workshop helps the girls understand the importance of respecting themselves and others as new friendships develop and old friendships are redefined. We discuss the importance of communication, do activities teaching how to listen to understand and share tips on how to recognize when a relationship is no longer healthy for them.

“Communicate with Confidence” – For this workshop we provide tips and tricks to tame the belly flops associated with speaking in public. Practice makes perfect IF you know what to practice and how to swallow your fears of standing up.

Series 2 (202 Workshops)

“Dream Catching – how to achieve your goals” – This workshop focuses on giving the girls techniques to use to turn their dreams into goals and their goals into reality. Having a plan is the cornerstone lesson to this session. We discuss their favorite personalities from TV and magazines and explain to them the myth of “overnight success” and being discovered. We culminate this session by helping the girls design a plan to start their own business in their neighborhoods (with their parents approval of course).

“Beauty and the Beast: or when beauty BECOMES the beast!” – This workshop explores beauty and the changing definition of beauty over the years. We talk about building real beauty and how to define what is important in our lives. We explore the impact of photo shopping on the girls impressions of movie stars and popular figures. Using videos and discussion we learn to start accepting our own shapes and sizes and introduce strategies toward building a healthy lifestyle.

“Yoga, Yummies and You!” – A follow on to our “Beauty and the Beast” workshop; we talk to the girls about healthy eating; give them ideas on how to attain their goals physically and emotionally and bring in a local expert on fitness and yoga. Using a local fitness professional we introduce the girls to the basics of exercise. The session includes an actual workout (about 20 minutes of light aerobics) and then a switch to stress management using techniques taught through yoga. This seminar is very high energy and especially important to confirm for the girls that they are in charge of their bodies and their physical and emotional health.

“A Girl Smarts Guide to Leadership” – It is always our goal to give our girls tools to use in the years ahead. During this leadership presentation activities bring home the importance of our roles as leaders in our lives, our community and our families. Team challenges allow each girl to take on a leadership role and do hands on competitive tasks in a friendly, fun filled atmosphere. This is our keynote workshop moving our girls forward to become everyday leaders in their lives.

“Social Media Smarts” – Even in 4th or 5th grade girls are already exploring the internet with gusto. They start to believe that Social Media equals private conversations. This workshops gives the girls some boundaries, knowledge on what to check to keep themselves safe and how to be confident on the internet and also know when to talk to their trusted adults if something just doesn’t feel right.

“First things first: Organizing for Middle School and beyond!” – In this powerful class, we talk to the girls about the most important aspects of the middle school experience. We provide all sorts of tips and strategies for the girls to get them started on the right foot for their coming school year. Our goal is to turn their anxieties into excitement and their fears into confidence as they take their first steps toward their futures.