Growing TogetherSM

This component, for girls ages 9-11 and a parent/adult, includes five interactive sessions designed to jump-start essential conversations between girls and their parents or guardians about sexuality issues. Girls participate alongside their adult counterpart throughout this program. Growing Together helps develop two-way communication skills to give girls an ally for future questions and dilemmas. Key topics include changes during puberty; anatomy, physiology, and hygiene; adolescent sexual development and feelings; and values and expectations for sexual behavior. Growing Together continues to be a wonderful, safe forum for mothers and daughters to discuss sex, pregnancy prevention, healthy relationships, risks and values.  The response to the workshops has been phenomenal as our instructors continue to break down barriers and open the lines of communication between mothers and daughters around these very sensitive issues. 

Project Learn

A program born out of Operation SMART, Project Learn is intended to engage kids in science by making it fun.  6th grade students at Hollister Elementary school are receiving an in depth education about animal and plant life of the ocean, specifically learning in detail about buoyancy, seaweed, and how the body shape of various species of fish help determine the speed at which they swim. Next quarter they will continue their hands on work by learning the science behind cosmetics, and even have the opportunity to make their own!

2008 Take Our Daughters to Work Day

Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara is hosting a Take Our Daughters to Work Day on May 21, and the theme is “Making Choices for a Better World.”  Our vision is to host a kick off lunch event for the girls and their mentors, followed by an afternoon in the workplace, and concluding with a wrap-up event.  Through topical speakers, a variety of workshops, panels and job shadowing, we intend to expose the girls to a wide range of career opportunities so they can begin to set career goals,  to teach them about the paths they need to take to achieve those goals, and ultimately to empower them to do so. 

Teen Mentoring Program. 

TODTW Day will also serve as a kick off for our new teen mentoring program. The mentoring program will support the mission of Girls Inc. leveraging the power of adult-teen relationships. Our program will focus on the girls’ needs with the intent of making a positive difference in their lives and providing them with opportunities that they would be unlikely to receive elsewhere. Our career centered program will match local teen girls with women from the Santa Barbara community.  Our goal is to expose the girls to a diverse range of career opportunities, support them in setting educational and career goals, and provide them with the tools, resources, and confidence necessary to achieve them.  (And they will have fun, too!)

Girls Inc/Goldman Sachs Corporate Camp

We are proud to announce that we have two teams entered in this year’s Girls Inc/Goldman Sachs Corporate Camp!  San Marcos and Santa Barbara High Schools have each compiled a team of five girls to compete nationally for the opportunity to spend a week in New York City presenting their business plans to professionals across a wide range of industries. Winners will also have the distinct honor of ringing in the NASDAQ bell. Pre-applications were submitted on February 22 with final applications due on April 25.  The girls are excited and determined to win.  We will keep you posted! Go Girls!

For more information about Girls Inc.'s Outreach programs, please contact Karen Elitzky at 805.963.4757 x17 or email: Kelitzky@girlsincsb.org.