- April 19, 2024
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The Girls on the Run after-school program is expanding in Volusia County and it's coming to Port Orange for the first time.
This spring semester, Girls on the Run Volusia County is expected to reach more girls in grades 3 through 8. The goal of this fall semster's 10-week program, which runs twice a week, is to have 50% more sites than last year. Each session last about 70 to 90 minutes.
Ashley Novak, Girls on the Run council director, said last year there were 10 sites where the program was used. A grant from Girls on the Run International will now make it possible to reach more students in Title I schools in the area. Novak said she hopes to have between 15 and 18 schools included in the program.
Among the Port Orange schools, Novak said Sweetwater Elementary has already agreed to offer the program. She said she is also working to include Sugare Mill Elementary and Port Orange Elementary as well.
However, Novak said they are looking for people in the community to get involved and help run the program, which starts in September and wraps up at the beginning of December when they hold a 5K event. The program community coaches are trained through the organization and directly help the program at the schools.
"To date, this organization has touched the lives of a million girls," Novak said. "And we are on track to touch the lives of 2 million girls by the year 2021, so it's pretty significant."
Novak said the organization recently came out with a longitudinal study about the impact of the program. According to the report, the majority of girls were able to better manage their emotions in home school and other settings while also improving their conflict-management skills.
The study showed that 91% of the girls said they improved their decision-making skills, such as choosing the right friends and thinking before acting.
"For girls in grades three through eight, I think that's significant," Novak said. "Research showed that the lower these girls were in these social skills the more of an impact the program had on them."
Novak said girls are taught an empowerment program that includes what is referred to as the 5 C's +1: competence, confidence, caring, connection, character and contribution.
Locally, the organization has been able to provide almost 300 girls with more than $9,000 in scholarships in 2016. Novak pointed out that the organization will not turn away girls, no matter what their financial situation. According to Novak, 60% of schools the organization serves are Title I schools.
"I think it's really important we start this early with elementary schools and then reenforce it in middle schools," Novak said. "Our goal is to be in every single school in Volusia County."
For more information or to get involved visit gotrvolusia.org
