Helping Girls Run the Race of Life: Girls on the Run

November 12, 2009 by Administrator
Filed under THINK PINK! Get Inspired.

By: Evangelia Biddy.

“Our program is a lot more than a running program. Part of our goal is to establish a network of community-based organizations
which work together to achieve our mission.”
–Molly Barker

girls-running

Four-time Hawaii Iron man Tri-athlete, Molly Barker, MSW, continues to set the pace with her international grassroots organization, Girls on the Run©. Founded in 1996, the goal of the program is to educate and prepare girls for a life time of self-respect and healthy living as well as provide pre-adolescent girls with enabling tools to embrace their girlhood gifts as they enter middle and high school.

Designed for girls between eight and thirteen, the program combines training for a 5K running event with self-esteem enhancing lessons that build character, develop social skills and encourage positive physical and emotional health. The 12-week experiential learning through running teaches very specific and well-defined social and personal skills. To better serve all participants there are two tracks. For girls in third to fifth grades there is Girls on the Run©. For older girls in the sixth through eighth grades there is Girls on Track©. “We target girls at this age because we know that girls in this group are still very receptive to adult influence, but are beginning to feel pressure from their peers”, says Barker. “It’s an age psychologists call the latency period of development when girls begin to confront important life and relationship issues. As a prevention program, we initiate healthy decision making about difficult issues and begin a dialog between girls and parents/caretakers before it’s too late.”

The principal philosophies and psychological research for both programs are the same. The girls are separated so that more targeted and age-appropriate discussions can be had around such topics as eating disorders, smoking and alcohol abuse and personal and internet safety. The program’s objective is to reduce the potential display of at risk-activities among its participants. “The goal for our girls is fewer adolescent pregnancies and unhealthy diet and eating disorders, less depression and suicide attempts, as well as fewer substance abuse problems and confrontations with the juvenile justice system.” Barker’s vision is to assist in nothing less than a complete transformation in the way girls and women perceive themselves and their place in society.

She describes her own girlhood as a struggle to fit in. “When I first start running I was fifteen and like most teen girls, I was trying to figure out who I was inside a changing body. I desperately wanted to be liked by the beautiful crowd and be popular with the boys, but I couldn’t fit into the box the world had for me. Though I knew this box was not true to my spirit, I sent hours trying to mold my body, lifestyle and life to fit into that box. It was an extremely painful period.”

Barker’s goal for the teens in her program is to create an entire generation of girls who can live peacefully and happily outside of the Girl Box.

In its infancy Barker developed the program with the help of only 13 girls. Today, there are Girls on the Run International© programs in over 150 cities across North America and Canada with tens of thousands of girls and women participating. More are in development around the world. The program has been featured in Oprah’s O’ magazine, Running Times, People, CNN, ABC News and ESPN.

Tips for Starting a Program in Your Area:

“Every community is different. The best way to get started is to create a steering committee, a diverse group of people in your community who are interested in bringing up strong girls and encouraging girls to become more active in running. These individuals will be a great resource for funding ideas and will help you spread the word about Girls on the Run©.

Grants are a great way to fund new councils. If you are working with a school, you may have access to state and federal education grants. Drug prevention and obesity prevention grants are also good fits for Girls on the Run©. In addition to grants, connecting with local community organizations and businesses are usually good sources of sponsorship dollars as well as in-kind donations.”

Barker has been the recipient of Redbook magazine’s “Strength and Spirit Award” which recognizes individuals who are building a better future for all of us. The program enjoys the corporate support of New Balance Athlete Shoe & Apparel Company, Kellogg’s and Goody Hair Products. Barker has a Masters in Social Work from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a former high school teacher and track coach and has worked as a college counselor helping women with eating disorders, substance abuse and depression. To learn more visit www.girlsontherun.org.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Evangelia Biddy is the editor of Junior Magazine, a publication about raising and
educating successful boys. The magazine features best practices, interviews with
leading authors and experts and actionable solutions for bringing up boys and
building strong families, visit juniorthemagazine.com.