Hands reach to pile one atop another in a loose circle of our team of 11 girls at Neal Dow Elementary. Faces shine from the perspiration of running and from the afterglow of having completed practice for the day. They chant in unison, hands bouncing to the beat of the words. Quietly, louder, then shouting; “Girls on the Run is SO MUCH FUN.” Each girl swoops her hand in an arc away from the center, exiting the circle by twirling outward with the final “WOOT”! The session is over for the day. The team disperses, grabbing backpacks and gleefully running to those who are waiting to pick them up. I feel exhilarated by the energy of the girls and by the knowledge of how this experience is so positive for them and for me.
Girls on the Run is an empowerment program designed to give girls important life skills which help them navigate in our very complex world. The 10-week program serves girls in grades 3-8 with two different age appropriate models for elementary and middle school participants. Molly Barker founded Girls on the Run in 1996 in Charlotte, North Carolina after an epiphany of how running helped her to overcome hard things in her past. She designed the non-profit to encourage girls to learn about themselves through lessons covering pertinent topics partnered with healthy practices around exercise and running. Two years ago, a national independent study confirmed that the program is making a significant difference in girls physically, mentally and emotionally. More than one million girls nationwide have now taken part. It is a movement, changing the lives of young girls everywhere.
Girls on the Run of the North State, our local council, will celebrate its 10th anniversary this fall. What began with just one team at Notre Dame in Chico, has grown exponentially to encompass nine counties north of Sacramento, giving thousands of girls in our region, the gift of this incredible afterschool program. I am entering my seventh year as a volunteer where I have served as coach, coach trainer, camp director, board member and all-around passionate advocate.
As a coach, I was able to watch as girls as young as 8 benefit from the program. Lesson topics range from basics like how to be a good friend, teamwork, and healthy eating, to heavier subjects like bullying, managing emotions, and having a positive self-image. Each lesson uses conversation, games, and movement to drive the information home. Much of the content is applicable to youth and adults, and I still find myself using things I taught the girls. Many coaches, myself included, come away saying how they wish a program like this had been around when we were young.
In the lesson about communication, “Stop and Take a BrThRR” the girls learn how to respond when things feel hard. It is a five-step system to use before reacting poorly to a challenging situation, or hastily saying the wrong thing (and who hasn’t done that!). The steps are 1. Stop, 2. Breathe, 3. Think, 4. Respond and 5. Review. Easy and brilliant. We talk about the process, and the girls make up hand signs to remember each step. We practice in a game format and then as they run their laps, they are given scenarios and respond, using the system. With twice weekly lessons like this, the girls grow, fill their life toolkit with skills and have fun along the way.
At the culmination of the program, every girl completes a 5K celebration run. Many of the younger girls begin the program having never run 1 mile, much less 3.1. They learn about setting goals and build on the number of laps each week. Coaches push the girls, but more profound is how they encourage and boost one another to do their best. The girls learn cheers and give out “energy awards”, acknowledging teammates who have used a Girls on the Run skill or who have “gone the extra mile.” A favorite cheer, “the mohawk” involves a high energy dance including the pantomime moves of shaving the mohawk, spiking the mohawk and “rocking” the mohawk which gets quite rambunctious.
At the finish line of the 5k, hundreds of girls run across the mat with an “attitude of gratitude” (another terrific lesson). They are a better version of themselves and have proven they can achieve so much more than they thought. Now more than ever, girls (and really all of us) need these skills to cope and persevere. If we would all agree to put our hands in the circle, stop and take a BrThRR, cheer one another along, and have an attitude of gratitude, wouldn’t everything feel better? Though times are different, Girls on the Run remains a constant, offering an adapted program to continue making an impact and helping us raise the next generation of confident, powerful self-assured women. It really is so much fun.
Rear View | Reflections on Life's Adventures 