Girls on the Run is an awesome initiative encouraging young women to get fit, get active, get together, and believe in themselves! Girls on the Run’s mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum, which creatively integrates running.
Molly Barker, MSW and four-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete founded Girls on the Run in 1996. Combining her counseling and teaching expertise with research on adolescent issues, she developed and delivered the first curriculum with 13 girls in Charlotte, North Carolina. Molly first began running at the age of 15, when she found herself stuck in the "girl box". The girl box is the stage many girls go through around middle school when they begin to morph into what they think they should be instead of being who they really are. The message of the girl box varies, but the overarching theme comes from a culture rooted in the belief that girls and women must conform to a set of standards that are often unattainable and dangerous to our health and well-being.
Studies have shown that girls experience a distinct shift in sense of self around fifth grade, when a greater value is placed on the opinions of others than on remaining true to our autentic selves. Social and cultural stereotypes influence this shift and create unhealthy guiding principles for girls and women, as they seek to discover what it is that makes them unique and worthy individuals.
The Girls on the Run program provides girls ages 8-13 with the necessary tools to embrace their individual strengths, as they enter middle and high school. The curriculum uses games and activities to help the girls get a better understanding of who they are and what's important to them. Next, they look at the role of teams and healthy relationships. And, finally, they explore how girls can positively connect with and shape the world around them. At Girls on the Run, running is not just a metaphor. Running is used to inspire and motivate the girls, encourage lifelong health and fitness, and to build confidence through accomplishments. Anyone who's experienced a "runner's high" can identify with this sense of accomplishment and positive, healthy energy.
Today, Girls on the Run boasts more than 193 councils across the US and Canada, with over 100,000 girls and 40,000 volunteers participating each year! There are 4,700 sites currently offering this 12-week experiential learning program. The program culminates with the girls running in a "New Balance Girls on the Run 5K". In 2011, more than 180 New Balance Girls on the Run 5k events will take place across the United States and Canada. In addition to an on-site presence at all of the New Balance Girls on the Run 5K events, New Balance provides sponsorship funding to the national office to aid operational and management costs and provides free shoes to 5,000 girls in need each year! For more information, visit www.girlsontherun.org
Here are some ways that YOU can get involved:
• Volunteer as a Coach! Time commitment: 1.5 - 2 hours twice weekly for 12 weeks.
• Get in touch with your local council to see what their top needs are in your community, or start a Council in your area if one does not currently exist.
• Raise funds for your local council by participating as a SoleMate through our adult charity running program.
• Volunteer as a Running Buddy and run with a girl at her 5K race!
• Hold a fundraiser (silent auction, wine tasting, etc.) to benefit your local council. Funds can be used for scholarships, capacity building, marketing…you name it!
