spotlight

Here are examples of social change projects designed by Girl Action Teams that aim to prevent and stop violence:

Team 1, Boys Hope Girls Hope, Phoenix: Get It Across!
Girl Action Team 1 was troubled about the lack of information and awareness regarding the abuse they saw happening in their community. The girls researched abuse, and created fliers to increase community awareness of abuse and how to stop it. The girls also made t-shirts that they wore at Metro Center Mall to act as human billboards. By passing out flyers with resources for abuse victims while wearing their t-shirts, the awareness campaign educated the community and left lasting knowledge about abuse.

Team 6, Crittenton Academy, Phoenix: Now or Later?
Team 6 believes that jealousy leads to controlling and abusive relationships among their peers. The girls created a skit titled “Now and Later” showing how jealousy can lead to controlling and abusive relationships.  It emphasized that if you are in an abusive relationship, it’s important to leave now – not wait until later. During the school performance, the girls distributed informational cards with domestic violence resources, and Now and Later candies. The girls also designed a quiz to make the audience aware of the differences between healthy and unhealthy jealousy. The girls want to stop the cycle of dating violence in their community.

Team 17, Coronado High School, Scottsdale: Stay Strong
Girl Action Team 17 believes that one domestic violence victim is one too many! By doing research on the issues of abuse and inviting a speaker to come to their school and present to students, the girls created an environment that encouraged others as well as themselves to understand that they are not alone. Team 17’s message is that violent acts do not have to own you for the rest of your life and with the right support and resources, a new day is possible.

Team 21, Independence High School, Glendale: Face To Face With Abuse
The young women at Independence High School were concerned about how sexual abuse was affecting girls and women in their community. The girls researched abuse, had a guest speaker about the topic at a team meeting, contacted local domestic violence agencies, and had in-depth discussions about the issue. They created posters, and distributed information about abuse at the school-wide health fair. The girls raised awareness about the warning signs and effects of abuse.

TEAM 3, PALA MIDDLE SCHOOL, EAST SAN JOSE: STOP THE VIOLENCE
The girls on Team 3 are tackling the violence they see on school campus and in their community. They created a workshop on the causes of violence and ways to prevent it for peers, teachers, parents, guardians, and other members of the community. In order to create long lasting change, the girls also created a Myspace page to reduce violence among their peers!

TEAM 11, LEADERSHIP  PUBLIC SCHOOLS, HAYWARD: RECLAIMING OUR COMMUNITY
Team 11 is committed to making a difference in their community by bringing awareness of the growing problem of gang violence to the surface.  The girls know that more gangs in their community means more violence and drugs and less growth and development for youth.  They created a documentary video to persuade youth to stop joining gangs. The video was shown at a parent/guardian night and a family/community night at the school campus.

TEAM 12, EAST PALO ALTO CHARTER SCHOOL, EAST PALO ALTO: THE VIOLENCE STOPS NOW
Team 12 was deeply impacted by recent gang violence which led to several deaths in their community. The girls created an interactive presentation with a video and a skit to discuss alternatives to gang life. Following the skit and video, girls led a Q & A session with participants on the affects of violence and where to go for more resources for violence prevention.  The team also participated in community peace rallies to unite youth and community members in the struggle against gang violence.

TEAM 16, KIPP SAN FRANCISCO BAY ACADEMY, SAN FRANCISCO:  EDUCATE YOURSELF
These girls believe that a root cause of issues they want to change, like homelessness, unemployment, and violence, is dropping out of school. They know that education is a way to learn about yourself and the world so that you can be a leader in your community. They partnered with Definitive Education (DEF ED), an organization that promotes hip hop values of acceptance, non-violence, creative self-expression, and physical fitness to teach students to value art and the learning process. With DEF ED, they created a video to share positive educational experiences to encourage their peers to stay in school.

TEAM 20, BALBOA HIGH SCHOOL, SAN FRANCISCO: NO MORE TRUANCY…NO MORE GANGS
The girls on Team 20 are tired of gang activity and truancy at their school. They know that students who cut class are more likely to engage in risky behavior such as joining gangs. The girls produced 5 short videos to encourage students to stay in school and to make healthy choices about how they spend their time out of class. The girls presented the videos on campus and to various schools within their community.

TEAM 22, CESAR CHAVEZ MIDDLE SCHOOL, EAST PALO ALTO: CREATING SAFE SPACES
This team identified the lack of a safe space for girls to communicate about their daily struggles as a real problem at their school. They used their team meetings to focus on personal development and growth, and the coaches provided a space where the girls could express themselves through art. The created collages, poetry, and dialogue to help girls cope with issues of identity, body image, and relationships. The girls can use these skills to help them transition to high school and beyond.

TEAM 29, MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL, MOUNTAIN VIEW: CAN’T HOLD US DOWN
The girls from Team 29 feel that because of the media, girls are pressured to obsess over their physical appearance and boys are pressured to act tough. They created a video with statistics, images from magazines, music video clips, and student interviews to create dialogue on how media impacts gender relations and creates negative stereotypes of each gender. After showing the video to audiences, girls lead interactive discussions on the topic of gender roles and the media. At the end of each session they provided audience members with action steps on how to change what we see in the media.

TEAM 31, MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL, FREMONT: EDUCATING OUR COMMUNITY ON DARFUR
Team 31 wants more people to know about the current genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. They partnered with Sudan Reach, an organization dedicated to promoting positive change in women's lives in Sudan, to host an information night for youth and adults in their community. The evening included speakers and a documentary screening highlighting the history of the genocide and action steps that we can take from the United States to put a stop to it. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Sudan Reach to support women who are working to empower themselves and to end the genocide.

TEAM 32, EAST PALO ALTO BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB/EDISON-MCNAIR ACADEMY, EAST PALO ALTO: DON’T BE FOOLED
Girl Action Team 32 has seen enough. They are tired of their peers joining gangs because it seems like “the cool thing to do” and because youth are unsure of where to find outlets to express themselves. The team created a magazine with information about alternatives to gangs, like participating in after school programming and using creative expression as a tool to strengthen self esteem. The girls hosted a release party of the magazine that brought together parents/guardians, school officials, and youth. The team believes that this is just the start of the community uniting to guide youth to positive community activities.

TEAM 34, BURNETT ACADEMY, CENTRAL SAN JOSE: NO MORE VIOLENCE
This Team is fed up with gang violence in their community. They are preventing their peers from joining gangs by making students aware of the negative consequences associated with gang life. They wrote a script, acted in, and produced a video that was shown to the 6th graders at their school.  The girls believe that now that their peers are informed about the realities of gangs and the impact gang violence has on the community, they will not want to join gangs.

TEAM 37, RUSSELL MIDDLE SCHOOL, MILPITAS: OPERATION: STOP GOSSIP
These girls believe that many of the fights and broken friendships at their school result from rumors and talking about other people. The girls created a campaign to encourage students to stop talking negatively about others.  The campaign included creating t-shirts that read, “Stop Gossip!” The girls educated students on campus about the negative impacts of gossiping while wearing their t-shirts and passing out ribbons to students who joined their campaign.

TEAM 39, LIONEL WILSON PREP ACADEMY, EAST OAKLAND: STOP THE VIOLENCE, STOP THE SILENCE
The girls of Team 39 believe that people need to NOT be silent about abuse. They created an after school program for students to dialogue on the impacts of abuse in their community. They also used this group to learn about different types of abuse and how to prevent it in their lives. This team believes that speaking about the issue will ignite community action to prevent a cycle of abuse.

TEAM 44, MENLO PARK BOYS & GIRLS CLUB, EAST MENLO PARK: ABUSE KNOWS NO AGE
Team 44 wants to stop abuse in their community. The girls partnered with New Voices for Youth, an organization which assists young people in media production for social change, to produce a video which raised awareness about different types of abuse and provided resources for how to prevent it. The video included real life testimonials from abuse survivors. The team showed the video to local community centers and schools in their district.

TEAM 1, BOYS HOPE GIRLS HOPE, PHOENIX: EDUCATING PEERS ON DOMESTIC ABUSE
The girls of Team 1 believe that there is a stigma around talking about domestic abuse. The girls authored a play to create public awareness among students about speaking out on this issue.  Their play will educate youth about safe resources in their community and how to access them.  They presented their play to schools in their school district.

TEAM 3, CENTERRA MIRAGE MIDDLE SCHOOL, GOODYEAR: OPERATION GOLDEN RULE
These girls believe that many of the fights and broken friendships at their school result from bullies influencing other students.  The team educated their peers about following “the golden rule” and treating each other with respect, in a school wide assembly. The girls wrote and starred in the play they presented at that assembly. The play deals directly with school bullies and the effect on both those who are bullied and those who do the bullying.  The girls also encouraged a respectful atmosphere at their school by creating and handing out “star awards” to peers who are seen doing something kind for another person.

TEAM 5, GRIFFITH ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: GIRLS: STOP VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY
Girl Action Team 5 is fired up about starting a campaign to take a stand against violence in their community. The team will teach girls about self-awareness and self-esteem in so that girls stop being part of creating violence through gossiping and bullying and also stand up against violence in all forms.  The team created and presented an original educational campaign that engages 7th and 8th grade girls. The curriculum includes discussions and activities on inner beauty, self-confidence, girl power and supporting beauty in others. They will tie in discussions on beauty and self-esteem and how these relate to violence in the community.

TEAM 11, ARTHUR M HAMILTON ELEMENTARY, PHEONIX: CREATING A SAFE SPACE
The girls of Team 11 have been working together to create a space in their team meeting for open discussion on community issues.  After their community had violent acts occur to young women, the girls talked about where to go for help and how to create a sisterhood to support each other.  The girls will continue to work as a team on being a network of friends who watch out for each other and know how to offer support.

TEAM 15, WILSON ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: STOP THE ABUSE OF CHILDREN
The sexual exploitation of children is a sensitive topic.  The girls of Team 15 believe that by encouraging their peers to speak out about the issue of sexual abuse, they will create a youth voice in the community. They developed a platform for open communication, and organized an open forum for both parents and adults to talk about safeguarding the community.  By incorporating a youth voice into this discussion, the girls hope to impact the way adults approach and talk to children about the issue of abuse.

TEAM 16, STARSHINE ACADEMY, PHOENIX: NO MORE HATERS
The girls of Team 16 have determined that jealousy is the main cause of “haters” in their school, especially among middle school students. They are creating change through an awareness campaign that supports a community of understanding and tolerance amongst their peers.  The girls will distribute information to students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade that focuses on inner-esteem.

TEAM 18, JACK L KUBAN ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: THE “HOW TO” OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION
The girls of Team 18 want to empower youth with confidence and self-esteem so that they are able to deal with peer conflict in a safe manner. The girls believe that it is important to have these skills before entering middle school, where peer conflict often arises. They delivered public service announcements to 5th grade students in their school by acting them out live in the class rooms. The PSAs offer information, resources, and choices for students on how to respond and deal with conflict safely.

TEAM 20, SANTA MARIA MIDDLE SCHOOL, PHOENIX: CREATING AWARNESS ABOUT ABUSE
The girls at Santa Maria Middle School want to raise awareness about child abuse, and how students can safely find resources on this issue.  The girls created a 30 minute presentation for their peers that includes identifying signs of abuse, the effects of it, and resources in their community to get help.  They presented to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students at their school. They hope that by raising awareness less youth will face this serious issue alone.   

TEAM 21, INDEPENDENCE HIGH SCHOOL, GLENDALE: STOP THE VIOLENCE
The girls at Independence High School want to decrease student violence by addressing the issue of racism.  The girls started a public awareness campaign at their school about the correlation between racism in the community, and student violence on campus.  They wrote original skits depicting racist encounters, and performed them at a school assembly. The girls are recording their performance and will offer it to school administrators to add to the school’s curriculum on conflict resolution.   

Michele Pino signed on as a Coach during the pilot program in Phoenix and has been a GFC Coach at Orangedale Elementary in Phoenis for two years:

I was very shy as a teen and I didn’t want to speak up. I had a lot to say, but it was all inside and I didn’t know that anybody would want to hear me. Then organizations that came into my realm lead me in high school and college to become a leader.

I have kind of an international background. I did some work with teaching women leadership in Siberia. What blew me away was that these women were so strong and capable and pulling their families together while everything was falling a part around them. It made me think that women are the same everywhere and we need more balance in leadership positions. I thought wouldn’t it be great if we could get more women into leadership in our communities. I learned about GFC and that was the magic pill!

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In 2006-2007, Adrian Reznik, a GFC Coach who is an expert in training adults on teaching and parenting skills, was a coach for Team 18, Kuban Elementary School. It was the first year this school had a Girl Action Team.

With the support of Adrian (pictured left) and her co-coach, Debra (pictured right), the team worked on teaching their peers about conflict resolution in order to empower youth with confidence and self-esteem so that they are able to deal with peer conflict in a safe manner. The girls delivered public service announcements to 5th grade students in their school by acting them out live in the classrooms.

"This year I was blessed with dozens of energetic middle school girls," Adrian says. "These eager young women showed up with passionate visions of serving their community. They were excited, hopeful, playful and ready to contribute."

Read the rest of Adrian's inspirational story about being a Coach on her web site.

Karen Kang, a GFC Coach in , recently wrote about why she thinks Girls For A Change is a powerful organization. The article appeared in her marketing industry newsletter:

Branding non-profit organizations can be a difficult task for some marketers because there is rarely a large advertising budget and the marketing sophistication of the staff is often limited. Girls For A Change (GFC) is a non-profit organization based in and Phoenix that has built a strong brand despite having no advertising budget. How they have done this is branding the old-fashioned way: developing a compelling product or service, creating word-of-mouth and loyal partnerships, and delivering on the brand.

I know this from personal experience having been a volunteer coach for one of GFC's Girl Action Teams in East Palo Alto this year. GFC's mission is to help disadvantaged girls to become social change agents in their communities, and in the process nurture confidence, self-worth and leadership in each girl.

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Chancis Benjamin, sophomore at GateWay Early College High School and Girls For A Change Girl Steering Committee member is headed to the Governor’s office this summer! She will be spending six weeks as an intern with Governor Napolitano and her Chief of Staff Anna Maria Chavez. Chancis will have the opportunity to shadow several State agency heads, participate in site visits and in the Governor’s media briefings and staff meetings. Chancis hopes to get a better sense of how the state of Arizona functions and what working in government is all about. Chancis is an amazing young woman who at 15 years old will have earned 15 college credit hours at the end of this semester!

Addy Bareiss is a first-year Coach for the Girl Action Team at A&A Cottages. Addy and her Co-Coach Liz Allen have have been meeting with their team to identify an issue for their social change project. The girls have decided that their project will focus around child abuse.

Addy was recently awarded the Outstanding Volunteer Award by her fellow employees at Boeing for her volunteerism and service with Girls For A Change.
Boeing employees voluntarily  register and donate part of their earnings to the Boeing Employees Community Fund. Monies from this fund are granted to community serving organizations and are awarded to the Outstanding Volunteer Award winner's organization of choice. Addy selected Girls For A Change! Thanks to Addy's passion and dedication to GFC, Boeing awarded us $1000.00 to help with our efforts of empowering girls to create social change in their communities.  Thanks Addy!

Addy shares her GFC experience below: 

"I am consistently in awe of the work of Girls For A Change. After the initial Coach training, I felt so empowered, so ready to bring that energy to the girls and so sure that GFC was clearly awesome that I immediately told every strong woman I know, GFC is the place to be!

Every time I meet with the girls or my Co-Coach, it renews my confidence that we, as women, can create the change our communities and world need. I adore working with my co-coach. There is such a positive spirit among women in GFC I haven't experienced anywhere else. I hope we bring all of that spirit to the girls.

I hope the award from Boeing's Employee Community Fund, graciously donated by individual employees, allows GFC to continue to do their amazing work: empowering professional women to empower young women to change the world!"

Girl Action Team 22, Evergreen Valley High School, South San Jose was featured in the November 2004 edition of Moxie as they had just completed the brainstorming phase of their anti-smoking campaign entitled SCUPINO. Since then, girl action team 22 has secured grants from GFC and Youth Service America and is in the final stages of image design and placement.

They have networked with design and marketing consultants, including New Girls Network Project Consultant, Shirley Horn. SCUPINO is now ready to take off and reduce the "cool" factor of smoking and to make sure young people realize the consequences and dangers of smoking before they actually start. Beginning in April 2005, SCUPINO images, with the slogan "Don't Give In" will be placed on billboards, buses, mail kiosks and everywhere teens hang out to warn prospective teen smokers about the health issues associated with smoking in a way that is informative and makes an impact.

Judy Kramer was the very FIRST individual donor to GFC. Just a few short years ago, Girls For A Change was approached for the first time by an individual interested in contributing to the magic of GFC. Four years later, we have grown our individual donor base ten-fold, yet still remain close to our first donor. This year, we were thrilled to receive the fourth check over four years, from Judy, and wanted to share the exhilarating moment with you all:

Whitney Smith, GFC Co-CEO: "When I checked the mail, I saw a check from Judy with a great note of support. I was filled with such gratitude; it was as if the challenging week just disappeared. I felt re-invigorated. We at GFC have amazing individual donors and Judy led the way for this! Each time we get a check in the mail from an individual donor, each time we open that envelope, it is not just the valuable monetary support that is encouraging, it is also the affirmation that people are cheering us on to empower young women. It is the reminder that there are many individual donors, a community, who believe in the mission of GFC and the power of young women to change the world. Thank you Judy from the bottom of my heart for being our partner in Girls For A Change."

GFC would like to Judy Kramer and all ensuing donors who have contributed through their time, money and energy to empower girls to create social change in their communities. Each and everyone one of you makes a difference. Thank you.

Here at GFC, we honor our donors and supporters and enjoy the relationships we have been able to build with may of you. We also think it important to let you know how your contributions, financial and otherwise, are deeply appreciated.

That is why we like to honor some of you from time to time, to publicly thank you and share your experience with others. This edition of Moxie honors long time donor, Rebecca Ramirez.

Rebecca is a long time supporter of Girls For A Change—in terms of supporting her niece’s participation in the program for the past 3 years and through her generous donations.

Rebecca first decided to donate because she saw the transformed relationship between her niece, Stephanie, with Stephanie’s mom, a GFC coach and long time volunteer. She saw that as Stephanie’s outlook on the world changed, and that as Stephanie realized her power as a young woman, her relationship with her family improved.

Rebecca continues to donate today because she sees how GFC creates a rare space where girls are consistently encouraged to speak their mind and take action on their ideas. GFC creates a space, she says, where girls know they are valued, no matter where they come from, who their family is, and who their friends are. She sees girls learning skills that they can use later in life. Most of all, she sees girls who are learning how to feel good about themselves while creating a change in their communities. She says,

"GFC allows girls to move from victims or passive observers, to powerful, action oriented members of the community."

We honor her commitment to young women and social change, and thank her deeply for her ongoing support.

Stopping the Name Calling at School

Team 8 knew that many of the fights and broken friendships at their school resulted from rumors, name calling and talking about other people. The team created one day at the school where students were encouraged to stop name-calling and stop talking negatively about others. The girls and coaches were role models on Don't Hate Appreciate Day by wearing special t-shirts and being leaders in the effort. They also presented to Ida Jew Elementary School students about the issue and encouraged the students there to participate in the movement.

First year coaches Sasha and Sarah had this to say about their experience:

"The wisdom the girls brought to the project amazed us. The growth and connection we experienced as a team was so rewarding, and then on top of that we felt so proud to see the girls follow through on tasks every week. This experience taught us so much!"

Thank you Sasha, Sarah and Team 8 for the change you've created this year.