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Our Program
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Fall 2009 season information and schedule is available here.
Mission
To educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.
About
Girls on the Run is a curriculum based, experiential learning program that utilizes the power of running to provide 3rd-5th grade girls the tools to:
- Celebrate their bodies,
- Honor their voices,
- Recognize their gifts and,
- Activate their power!
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Our Approach
Our program is offered twice a year, during the spring and fall, at various locations throughout the Puget Sound region. Each program session is 10 weeks long and consists of 20 lessons. Program sites meet twice a week for 1½ hours in the afternoon. Each session is led by a team of trained female volunteer coaches that guide and mentor the girls through the fun and uplifting curriculum. Along the way, the girls train together to walk or run the non-competitive New Balance Girls on the Run 5k (3.1 mile) event which takes place at the end of the program session. Completing the 5k event give the girls a chance to shine and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment!
Curriculum Structure
Our
volunteer coaches facilitate a well researched and copyrighted
curriculum. The curriculum is divided into three parts to encompass the
following concepts:
- Part One: All About Me…Getting to Know Who I am and What I Stand For!
- Part Two: Building My Team…Understanding the Importance of Cooperation
- Part Three: Community Begins with Me…Learning about Community and Designing Our Own Community Project
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Each lesson focuses on a specific topic and follows a five part format that provides consistency and structure for the girls’ experience.
- Getting on Board: The lesson begins with an activity and brief group discussion that brings the girls’ focus onto the day’s topic.
- Warm Up: A short interactive running game that incorporates the lesson topic for that day followed by a stretching and group discussion.
- Workout: A running activity related to the topic of the day. Workouts grow longer over the course of the program as the girls build stamina.
- Cool Down: A stretching period and group discussion.
- Positive Words: Coaches recognize positive individual and group behaviors.
Sample Lesson
We have provided a sample lesson so that you can get a feel for the structure of the lessons. Please click here to view the lesson.
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Objectives
The objective of Girls on the Run is to reduce the potential display of at-risk activities among its participants. The goal is fewer adolescent pregnancies and eating disorders, less depression and suicide attempts, as well as fewer substance/alcohol abuse problems and confrontations with the juvenile justice system.
Academic Evaluation
In 2001, Girls on the Run International contracted with Rita
DiGioacchino DeBate, Ph.D., MPH, CHES, to perform a formative impact
evaluation. She performed the evaluation in 2002 and 2005. The
evaluation assesses the Girls on the Run program and how well it meets
stated objectives by using a pre-test/post-test that measures attitudes
towards physical activity, self-esteem, eating attitudes, body image
and communication. Dr. DeBate is an Associate Professor in the School
of Community and Environmental Health at Old Dominion University.
Through the evaluations, Dr. DeBate found that our curricula improve
girls' self-esteem, body size satisfaction, and physical activity
behaviors to a statistically significant extent. Also noted are
positive changes regarding attitudes towards physical activity, health
behaviors, and empowerment.
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