We’re excited to share that our Girls Inc. Clubs are expanding to Bessemer Housing Authority facilities as well as Woodlawn High School!
Each Girls Inc. Club provides a space where girls can be themselves, grow their confidence, make friends, and gain a sisterhood of support to rely on. The program is tailored to support different age groups; many Girls Inc. Clubs are for girls in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, but some Clubs are designed specifically for high-school girls.
Regardless of age, Girls Inc. Club members learn to develop their strengths and receive support they need to navigate the challenges they may face. One Club member named Jaylyn says that she loves being a part of the Girls Inc. Club because it “gives girls an opportunity to understand how to deal with things that life throws at them. It also helps to teach us how to love ourselves no matter what.”
Girls Inc. Club Membership is free, and includes access to trained professionals and guest speakers who teach, mentor, and support girls to do their best in school, make positive decisions, and dream big. Sessions consist of hands-on, fun, and age-appropriate activities that meet the needs of today’s girls.
Club Members learn about age-appropriate topics like building positive friendships, managing stress, building self-esteem, and embracing puberty. Mental health, wellness, and social/emotional learning are also an important part of programming. These initiatives equip girls with the tools to navigate the difficulties of growing up. Other subjects include safety tips on social media, bullying prevention, providing homework help, and exploring STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).
Girls Inc. Clubs are one of our Community Impact programs, which brings the Girls Inc. Experience to girls across eight school districts in Central Alabama. The goal of the Community Impact Department is “to remove accessibility barriers and give girls outside of our centers an interactive Girls Inc. experience,” says our Director of Community Engagement, Lige’ R. Shears.
With almost 3,000 students served in 2021 and over 4,000 served in 2022, it’s clear that the work of our Community Impact Department is already making a wide impact. We are so excited to see our Girls Inc. Clubs grow as a part of this effort!
For questions or more information about the Girls Inc. Club, please contact Lige’ Richardson- Shears at lshears@girlsincentral-al.org.
This story was featured in the February 2023 issue of our monthly newsletter, The Bold Bulletin. For more stories like this in your inbox, sign up below!