Girls Incorporated of the Centralcoast

Our Mission:  To inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold™ and to respect themselves and the world around them.

Our Vision:  Empowered girls achieving success in a complex and diverse world.

Girls Inc. of the Central Coast® is an affiliate of Girls Incorporated, a national organization that has been providing programs for girls since 1864 in the United States and Canada.  As an affiliate of the national organization, Girls Incorporated of the Central Coast is part of a national network of girl-serving organizations that deliver innovative, research-based programs designed specifically to address the strengths and needs of girls ages 8-18 and to prepare them for economic independence and confident adulthood.

 

Girls Incorporated of Central Coast is a 501(c)(3) organization that has served the Monterey County community since 1999, in 2011, we began serving girls from San Benito County in our Smart Choices summer college week.

Girls Inc. of the Central Coast (Monterey and San Benito) serves over 1,000 girls in 30 schools in 7 cities.  In the future, we plan to offer our programs in Santa Cruz County.

All programs are conducted after school at school sites, eliminating any difficulties with transportation for the girls and young women. We have established productive working relationships with schools, whose staffs assist us with recruiting and program implementation.  

We are currently operating in Salinas, Seaside, Marina, Castroville, Soledad, Greenfield, King City and San Benito at eight high schools, seven middle schools, and nine elementary schools.

Girls Inc. of the Central Coast offers programs totally facilitated by teens. Teen graduates from our high school program return as paid youth leaders to facilitate all of our programs.

Program Activities:

1. ECHO Leadership Program works with young women ages 15-17, to encourage them to pursue post-secondary education, and plan for future careers. 

2. Youth Leaders Program: GICC provides opportunities for the ECHO graduates to continue their leadership development by delivering programs to girls in high school and middle school as youth leaders and teen teachers. 

3.  Smart Choices Summer Program: This week long summer program takes place on a local college campus and inspires girls entering high school to make positive life choices about health, relationships and school. Girls explore their potential for leadership, examine myths about cultural and sexual stereotypes, critically examine the influence of the media, and determine classes they should take to get into college.

4.  Will Power/Won’t Power: is a series of workshops for girls 12-14 years old teaching assertive communication, forming healthy relationships, avoiding risky situations, and learning about teen health.

5.  Friendly PEERsuasion: is a substance abuse education program for middle school girls, which also prepares them to become facilitators of workshops on this subject for elementary school children. This program approaches drug abuse prevention as a peer issue, using the positive influence of young people modeling healthy behaviors. 

6.  Growing Together: is designed to increase positive communication between mothers (or other significant female adult) and their 10-12 year old daughters and help them to discuss questions about sexual behavior and puberty without embarrassment. 

7.  Strong, Smart and Bold Summer Camps: is a two-week day camp for girls ages 8 to11. Girls participate in research-based programs: Girls Take Another Look increasetheir awareness of the scope and power of the media and the effects of media messages on girls and women, Girls encourage is designed to sustain girl’s interest in sports through adolescence by introducing them to nontraditional activities and adventures, Operation SMART develops girl’s skills and enthusiasm in science, through hands-on activities, girls explore, ask questions, persist, and solve problems.

Visit us at girlscinccc.org or contact us at 831-772-0882.