Every Girl Counts
Every Girl Counts - Middle School Girls Leadership Group
The “Every Girl Counts” program was established in 2011 at SI Rim of the World. Our goal is to allow the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls at Mary Putnum Henck Middle School, to learn more about themselves, help in building community awareness, discuss coming of age issues, prepare for high school and help them stay focused on a positive path for the rest of their lives.
This is a FREE program for the girls.
The program consists of 7 sessions during the school year. They are held at the middle school cafeteria/gym usually on the first Wednesday of the month from 3:30 pm until 5:30 pm. The program starts in September of the school year and ends in April of the following year. We do not meet in January due to the holiday school break.
The session starts with a very good and healthy snack. We have learned that the girls are very hungry by that time of the day. They ate lunch at 11 am so they really appreciate a substantial snack. Items may include: pizza, chicken legs, turkey sandwiches, fruit, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit and yogurt bar and water. The parents must pick the girls up from school at 5:30 pm. We may go on field trips to other places on the mountain: hiking areas, the Country Club for the special end of the year program, fire station, etc.
Themes
Each year, we build upon the previous years’ topics and add others to enhance the needs of our girls in the program. Our Program themes can be quite diverse and we plan our sessions following along these themes:
Health (breast cancer awareness, nutrition, alcohol/drug abuse)
Self Esteem building: (manners/etiquette; life skills, goal setting communication skills, self-reflection)
Safety: (self-defense, Internet Safety, Anti-bullying, CPR, earthquake preparedness, first aid and fire safety)
Community Giving: (made fleece scarves for the homeless, packaged a special dry soup mix to give to Meals on Wheels clients, decorated Christmas stockings for the kids at Ronald McDonald House, decorated bras for mammogram fundraising program)
Global Awareness: Diversity training; San Diego Gas and Electric Recycling Program – Go Green
Community Awareness: Mountain Historical Museum, local hikes involving the Sierra Club with forest and water issues, environmental protection
Creating a safe and fun environment for girls to build support and community: There is a Big Sister Program at each meeting where the girls meet in a smaller group (approximately 8) with a SIROW member who we call a Big Sister. The Big Sisters speak to the parents and the girls on a monthly basis. She greets the girls and asks ice breaker questions to get the girls interested and thinking about the day’s upcoming session. Some examples of prompt questions we have asked this year according to the topic are:How does Social Media (Facebook, texting, email, videos, etc) affect your life"Have you or someone you know have a problem using the internet vial email or testing on their phones?Is there a connection between what you eat and how you feel? How does exercise fit into being fit?Be Alert to give Service - what does this mean? What does it mean to be a giving person?Life Skills: making good choices; personal grooming; cooking; writing thank you notes, rsvp procedure, female role models; sewing; introduction to savings/checking accounts.
Crafts: jewelry making; art, painting birdhouse gourds, holiday candles and stocking; decorating cooking/candy.
Methods that we use to enhance our program include guest speakers, role playing, discussion and active participation. We have interactive discussions as to self-esteem issues, developing friendships, forming connections to the school and the other girls as well as information on careers for women.
For further information please contact us via email at sirow@sirow.org.
The program is FREE!
This program is paid for by SIROW Fundraising and Grants from Soroptimist International and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
What they will Discover:
● What it takes to become a real success
● What you want to do with your life
● How to get motivated and stay motivated
● How to overcome criticism and discouragement
● The process of turning your dreams into reality
● Personal development and safety
● Importance of Community Service
● Awareness of their local environment and global concerns
Each student receives a registration form that will provide personal health and medical history, identification, emergency notification and a photo and transportation consent release form in both English and Spanish.
English versions:
Student Registration Form
Student Transportation and Photo Release Form
Spanish versions:
Student Registration Form
Student Transportation and Photo Release Form