It was in January of 2007 that we hit the ground running and have had an active, service-oriented 6+ years We're currently serving 60 school-aged girls and their families a year; 90% are below-poverty or low-income. Cultural diversity includes 60% Latinas, 30% African-Americans, and 10% Pacific Islanders. All reside and/or have parents working in Southern San Mateo County's independent township of East Palo Alto.We are hoping to expand our offerings to our current families. As well, we would like to get support to expand our offerings to more families in need.
Recent Accomplishments Include:
- Delivering a consistent after-school program every non-holiday weekday afternoon since our inception. Average attendance has exceeded 3 times/week/girl, over an average term of more than 10 months/girl.
- Establishing a STEM initiative providing coaching, mentorship and field trips to local Silicon Valley companies.
- Partnering with 12 other community agencies, service groups, and businesses to deliver everything from academic support to arts activities to field trips.
- Launching a Community Tutoring and Mentoring Pilot Project, where dozens of motivated girls from the several local high schools serving East Palo Alto and local colleges in the bay area fulfill their community service education requirement by supporting our elementary and middle-school girls in their academic & social development.
- Building leadership skills in girls 11-16 by: involving them in support for younger girls; having them help administer the organization; and by soliciting their feedback in program development.
- Establishing an ongoing gardening, nutrition, and environmental education program.
WHAT WE OFFER
- Girls to Women partners with families, other local youth development agencies, and local schools. At the core of our youth development approach is respect for the abilities, knowledge and potential of each girl we serve. They thrive among the positive, culturally-reflective female role models they find at Girls to Women.
- School Year Program: Every weekday afternoon during the school year we offer a comprehensive program that includes academic support; gardening & nature; sports & fitness; arts; health awareness; social & cultural skills-building; and leadership development. Our Spanish-English bilingual staff and community volunteers support girls' development in a multicultural context. We maintain an adult-to-child ratio of 1:8 or lower.
- Summer Session: Our six-week summer session emphasizes fun and various outdoor activities, but we continue to embed literacy and problem-solving into the program. Girls take field trips to the beach, visit regional parks, swim, grow flowers and vegetables, find books they love at the East Palo Alto Library, practice their arithmetic through games and exercises, produce plays for our periodic Family Nights, and share favorite family recipes.
- Our Annual Margaret Wright Wellness 5K Run/Walk honors the memory of a much-loved benefactor of Peninsula youth, while building awareness of the health benefits and sheer fun to be had through physical fitness.
- The Technovation Challenge: This 12-week global technology entrepreneurship program and competition for girls, challenges girls to work in teams of 5 to design, code and develop mobile applications that address a community issue (www.technovationchallenge.org). The goal is to inspire girls' interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
WHY IT MATTERS
Out-of-school learning and enrichment opportunities are critical for the healthy development of all children. Families in San Mateo County's "East of Bayshore (East Palo Alto and Menlo Park's Belle Haven neighborhood)" community depend on Girls to Women for year-round programming. Our focus on development, mentoring, educating and inspiring young girls is our passion and our expertise.
Nevertheless, there's only slots for only about 20% of our K-8 youth . . . compare that to nearby Palo Alto, where such resources are on-hand for over 90% of young people. And even in "high-risk neighborhoods," over 80% of kids across the socioeconomic spectrum will be involved in at least one regular out-of-school program where they are available. That's certainly true for the East of Bayshore.