Mission Statement

We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running

Vision

We envision a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams

Core Values

Girls on the Run honors its core values. We strive to:

1. Recognize our power and responsibility to be intentional in our decision making
2. Embrace our differences and find strength in our connectedness
3. Express joy, optimism and gratitude through our words, thoughts and actions
4. Nurture our physical, emotional and spiritual health
5. Lead with an open heart and assume positive intent
6. Stand up for ourselves and others

The Program

GOTR is more than a running program. It is a philosophy - a way of being. Girls on the Run is a life-changing character development program for elementary school girls, starting with 3rd grade (ages 8-12) that uses the power of running to teach every girl about her personal power and the importance of being healthy and active. Girls on the Run combines training for a 5K (3.1 miles) running event with healthy living education. Our programs instill self-esteem and strong values through health education, life skills development, mentoring relationships, and physical training - all of which are accomplished through an active collaboration with girls and their parents, schools, volunteers, staff and the community.

The teams have a minimum of 8 girls and a max of 12-15. Teams meet two times per week right after school for an hour and a half. Most teams begin meeting at about 3:30 or 3:45pm immediately after the school day is over.

The goal of the program is to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development. Furthermore, we encourage participants to talk with their family every day about what is going on with them. The 12-week curriculum attempts to help each girl find and stay true to her REAL self. As a celebration of achievement, all girls complete a local 5K race.

Why This Age Group?

GOTR is best suited for prevention purposes for girls between the ages of 8 and 12 years old. This is a time when children are still receptive to what adults have to say, yet they are beginning to feel the pull of peer pressure. Studies show that around the time of 5th grade, girls tend to go to a place that we call "The Girl Box." The Girl Box is a place where girls feel as if they are valued more for their appearance, their friends and what kind of clothes they wear - as opposed to the strength of their character. It is the perfect time to address important personal and relationship issues to a girl - like learning how to manage her emotions, the dangers of gossiping, how and when to speak up for herself and more. This is the ideal age for girls to develop the skills for handling these issues so that each girl STAYS OUT OF THE BOX.

How it Works

Our character building program of experiential learning through running teaches very specific and well-defined social and personal skills. The program culminates in a non-competitive 5K race event which gives the girls a chance to shine and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

The curriculum encompasses the following 3 concepts:

• Weeks 1-3: All About Me...Getting to Know Who I Am and What I Stand For!
• Weeks 4-8: Building My Team...Understanding the Importance of Cooperation
• Weeks 9-12: Community Begins with Me...Learning About Community and Designing Our Own Community Project

Studies show that a decline of self-esteem, poor academic performance, and diminished ambitions take place during adolescence. The skills taught through Girls on the Run have shown to lead to fewer eating disorders, less depression and suicide attempts, fewer substance/alcohol abuse problems and fewer teen pregnancies. The result is a healthier way of life for a new generation of young women.

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.

Prior to running our pilot, Dr. DeBate's review of the academic research in the area of girls and sports turned up two contradictory results. On the one hand, girls involved in athletics have higher self-esteem and engage in fewer risky behaviors than girls who are not. On the other hand, girls who become highly competitive in some sports (such as running, figure skating, gymnastics and other sports in which slim body images are admired) have a higher incidence of eating disorders than girls who are not involved in such sports. This poses a dilemma which - after running our evaluation - Dr. DeBate believes the Girls on the Run curricula may solve.

Through the evaluations, Dr. DeBate found that our curricula improve girls' self-esteem, body image satisfaction, and noted statistically significant positive changes regarding attitudes towards physical activity, health behaviors, and empowerment.

Sample Lesson