Fun in the Sun
Held at 2 sites in Santa Barbara and Goleta, Fun in the Sun (FITS) is a 7 week summer program for boys and girls in the 1st through 12th grade. Children participate in age-appropriate curriculum in categories such as social skills, team building, art, and wellness. In addition, children participate in 75 minutes of daily direct reading instruction. Afternoon activities and trips include environmental awareness programs, swim lessons, sports, dance and music appreciation, guest speakers, and various field trips.  In addition, each child is provided with a set of clothing (including a swimsuit, shoes, shirts, shorts, socks, under garments, etc), a healthy lunch and snacks, dental and eye screenings, etc. all provided in collaboration with our program partners.

Project Learn
A program born out of Operation SMART, Project Learn is intended to engage kids in science by making it fun.  The program follows students from third grade through sixth grade at Hollister Elementary School.  This year we are working with second year Project Learn students (fourth graders).  During the Fall Quarter they are receiving an in-depth look at “Our Changing Earth”, learning about plate tectonics, ocean floor features, mountains and volcanoes.  During the Winter and Spring Quarters the students will continue their hands on experiences by learning the about advocating for a greener world with our “Earth Action” curriculum (Winter Quarter) and inventing and building new contraptions with our “Gizmos & Gadgets” curriculum (Spring Quarter). 

Take Our Daughters to Work Day 2010 (flyer)
Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara will host our 17th Annual Take Our Daughters to Work Day on Thursday, May 13th.  The day consists of a noon kick off lunch event for the girls and their mentors, followed by an afternoon job shadow and concludes with wrap-up activities at our Goleta Valley Center.  Through meaningful and caring speakers, a variety of workshops, and job shadowing, the girls will be exposed to a wide range of career opportunities in order to begin to set career goals and learn about paths they need to take to achieve those goals.  Take Our Daughters to Work Day 2009 brought over 75 women mentors and 110 eighth thru twelfth grade girls together for a day of job shadows, learning, growing and bonding!
Mentor's Registration Form
Girl Participant Registration Form

Lego League
Lego League is a team of ten girls ages 9-14 who take on a research project and the task of building a Lego robot. Each year the Lego League contest focuses on a different real-world topic that is related to the sciences.  This year our team was given the task of researching and coming up with a solution to a local transportation issue; they had to figure out how to make local transportation safer.  The robotics portion of the competition revolves around designing, building and then programming a working Lego robot to complete various tasks and missions.  Our team participated in a tournament at Magic Mountain in mid-November where they got to present their research project and solution as well as compete with their robot.  We are very proud of them!  We were fortunate this year to have the help and attention of the Dos Pueblos High School Engineering Program students who acted as mentors to our team.  Their guidance and assistance were key to our team’s success!

You Grow Girl
Our first ever You Grow Girl event was held in October 2009 at our Goleta Valley Center.  It was a huge success!  Over 65 girls and adults came together for this all-day conference-style event which included fun and engaging workshops, a delicious lunch, great speakers and new friendships!  Some of the workshops offered for the girls were: Body Image, Fitness & Nutrition, Let’s Get Ready for College, Self-Defense, Expect Respect, etc. While the adults were offered workshops such as: Talking with Their Mouths Full, Body Image, Facilitating Growth in Today’s Girl, Expect Respect, College and Financial Aid Awareness, etc.  You Grow Girl 2010 planning will begin soon and the date will be determined in early 2010. We look forward to seeing you there!

Upcoming NEW Programs:

Media Literacy – This program, which will be geared towards girls in 9th thru 12th grades, is all about introducing the teens to digital media, camera equipment, and ultimately empowering them to create a short video.  The Media Literacy program will use Girls Inc. curriculum entitled “Girls Make the Message” in which the girls will meet weekly for six months to brainstorm, interview community members, film, edit and promote their short film/Public Service Announcement to our local community.  We are currently in the process of planning for this program and we hope to kick it off in January of 2010.

Eureka! Internship Program – A unique program which will start working with girls in the summer before their 8th grade school year, Eureka! will provide teen girls with work experience and education while preparing them for economic independence. The program starts off with two intense summers spent learning about math, science, technology, sports and career options.  After completing this extensive training on real-life job skills they are ready to apply these skills during a summer internship.  The girls will spend two summers in paid internships with local companies during the summers before their 10th and 11th grade years. The program continues through their graduation from high school, focusing on helping them apply for colleges and scholarships, helping them secure jobs and/or new internships, etc. We look forward to kicking this new program off in the Summer of 2010.

For more information about Girls Inc.'s Outreach programs, please contact Jen Bowman at 805.963.4757 x17 or email: jenbowman@girlsincsb.org.