Girl Action Teams

submission by NAC

Website

www.girlsforachange.org

Describe the creative youth microprojects that your nonprofit would fundraise for if you win.

This grant will support our 14-week program offered by Girls For A Change at schools and community groups throughout Silicon Valley. In this program girls are given the opportunity and tools to identify an issue in their community they want to change, how their own resources can help create positive change, how their mindset can influence their ability to create change for themselves and their community, how to set goals and substitute strategies when things go wrong, how to work in a team, how to speak out and up for themselves in all situations, as well as practical skills in technology, reaching consensus, influence, and community change. The Girl Action Team aims to develop significant life skills that the girls can use in their transition to adulthood. As they implement their social-change projects, they have the opportunity to become decision-makers, managers, and responsible citizens.

Explain how possibly gaining funding through the Give for Youth platform would better able you to complete these projects.

Gaining funding will help Girls For A Change serve more girls. In FY13, we want to scale up the Girl Action Team program in the Bay Area, an initiative that will help us reach more girls in Silicon Valley. We will partner with more schools and community programs, engage over 600 girls from low-income communities and leverage 75-80 women coaches.

Describe why your nonprofit is innovative and entrepreneurial.

Girls For A Change is the only national organization exclusively focused on giving girls from low-income neighborhoods a voice by engaging them in social change. GFC provides girls with skills, support and resources to increase their self-confidence and self-efficacy by inviting them to identify, design and lead social change projects in partnership with women volunteers that address some of the most challenging issues facing their communities. GFC empowers girls to speak up, to become decision makers, to solve problems and to create visionary change. By connecting them with professional women trained to serve as volunteer coaches, girls develop trusted relationships with powerful role models for civic engagement and women become strong advocates for girls and their neighborhoods.