Girl Scouts
"First Saturdays" program
First Saturdays targets girls ages 5-12 from
economically challenged and ethnically
diverse neighborhoods in the East Valley.
What started as a pilot program at one
location five years ago serving 295 girls
has grown to four locations and serves 500
girls a year. Current program locations are
Tempe, Chandler and Mesa.
The
program is developed and delivered on the
first Saturday of each month at all sites,
which include schools, churches and
community-based facilities. Lack of
transportation and parental involvement are
typically barriers that make it difficult
for these girls to participate in weekend
activities. |
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We
have countered these challenges by providing
transportation to some of the sites using rented
15-passenger vans. Girls are transported to and
from a variety of housing projects, low income
apartment complexes, and school parking lots.
Over 82% of the participating girls are Black,
Hispanic, or Native American and the majority of
them are from families who are in or on the
margins of poverty.
Continental breakfast and snack are provided to
girls. This is often their first meal of the
day. Most girls arrive hungry because they rely
on free and reduced breakfast program on school
days and do not have this resource on Saturdays.
Each year eight different program themes are
developed from girl surveys and rotated to the
four sites. Some of the past themes include:
Dance Fun, Healthy Living, Community Service
Day, Animals and Pets, Sports, etc.
Over 50 people are needed each month to support
First Saturdays. Volunteers and staff partner
along with teen program aides to supervise
activities at the four sites.
First Saturdays is the only program of its kind
specifically for girls offered on Saturdays.
Multiple challenges affect girls specifically.
Schools are failing youth who are not receiving
an education that will prepare them for a
successful future including practical skills for
a career. Latina girls often do not finish high
school at rates equal to their female peers due
to language barriers, failing standardized
tests, and lack of cultural understanding (2000
Roper Youth Report).
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2002-2005 Kids
Count notes that 1/3 of children in Arizona live
with only one parent and 18% are poor. Arizona
looks worse that the U.S. average on several
indicators, especially high school drop out
rates (11%) and teen births (61 per 1000). In
fact, Arizona ranks 41 out of 50 on such
indicators.
Girl Scouts addresses these risks. Girls hone
social as well as other skills for a positive
sense of self and the tools needed to navigate
in our complex world. Girls can relax in a safe,
supportive an all girl environment. Research by
the Girl Scout Research Institute, Girls Inc.
and the Ms. Foundation show that girls believe
that when in girl-only groups they can more
easily discuss issues they can't in front of
boys (91%) and can be themselves (76%).
Each JLP volunteer will make a difference by
being that additional caring adult who
communicates to a girl, by simply being there,
that she is a valued member of society. JLP
volunteers, many of whom are employed outside
the home, will be role models of successful life
decisions. Additionally, they will be
demonstrating that it is possible to care for
others in addition to one's own personal life,
family time and career. |
