Girls on the Run: Empowering program raises self-esteem and builds confidence
When I heard about Kathy Barnett and the work she does with young girls, it occurred to me just how important it is, especially in today’s society.
So, I interviewed Kathy to find out more about what she does. I hope you’ll be inspired too.
Tell me a little bit about yourself and what you do and your role in Girls on the Run?
I am a long-time resident of Howard County. My family moved here back in 1973, and after undergrad and grad school, I stayed to raise my own family here. I have a wonderful husband and three children ages 15 , 9 and 5 , who for the first time this year are all in school full time! Woot!
I have coached Girls on the Run (GOTR) for six seasons at Clemens Crossing Elem, where my two daughters now go. In addition to coaching, I serve on the Advisory Board of the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County as the Chair of the Youth Development Committee, which advises the Young Women’s Giving Circle – a philanthropic group for girls in 9th – 12th grade.
Currently, I serve as Executive Director of GOTR Central Maryland, a position I just started in the middle of July. In addition to overseeing the overall success of the Central Maryland program, my primary goals are to raise awareness, build partnerships and develop funding sources. GOTR Central Maryland serves girls in 3rd-8th grade in Howard and Carroll Counties. There are five other GOTR Councils in the area.
How influential is Girls on the Run in today’s society and what are the benefits?
GOTR is more than just a running program. It teaches girls to have a greater sense of self-awareness, increased self-esteem, confidence and self-respect. To me, GOTR is not a running program it’s an empowerment program. We teach girls to problem solve and remain strong during adolescence. The girls learn about dealing with body image and the media, resisting peer-pressure, making healthy decisions, and contributing to the community. These lessons are woven into the training for a season ending 5k, an accomplishment which in itself is monumental! It is incredible to see the team-building and camaraderie that these girls display on race day.
What kind of girl joins Girls on the Run?
All kinds of girls join GOTR – Girls who’ve never run before, and girls who run and play other sports. We have confident girls, introverted girls, silly girls and serious girls. The beauty of the program is that we can draw upon all these various qualities and traits to teach the girls that they are all beautiful and unique on the inside and they each add value to the larger team and the impact they can have together.
How can girls or their parents find out more?
Girls on the Run of Central Maryland can be found online.
We are also on Twitter & Instagram @gotrcentralmd
As well as Pinterest and LinkedIn.
Girls on the Run International is our parent organization. There are over 190 councils across North America, serving over 60,000 girls annually.
What are the three things that motivate you as a professional?
The three things that motivate me in this job are:
1) Empowering girls to have self respect, be self-assured and have their own voice. I truly believe that if we can teach girls to be more confident in themselves, we can help them avoid risky behaviors later in life like underage drinking, sexual promiscuity and bullying. We can also help them avoid situations that might lead to abuse, rape and suicide There are no guarantees, but research shows that building self-esteem in adolescent girls can prevent depression and isolation, which leads to those behaviors later.
2) Seeing the impact it has on our coaches. If you ask them why they volunteer all the hours they do, most will tell you that it’s because they get as much out of volunteering and seeing the transformation in the girls as the girls themselves. It’s a total win-win.
3) The end goal that empowering girls can have a positive impact on their families, schools, neighbors and our overall community. How great would it be if we look at these girls in 10 years and can demonstrate that GOTR made a significant difference in their lives? We are already discussing strategies to measure the program’s long and short term effectiveness that with local research institutions. I’m looking forward to being around for those results. And bottom line – I have two girls of my own I need to raise. I’m glad to have this huge support group to do it with!
Claire Bolden McGill is a British expat who lived in Maryland for three years and moved back to the UK in August 2015. Claire wrote about her life as a British expat on the East Coast and now works in travel and hospitality PR in the UK. She still finds time to blog about her repatriation and the reverse culture shock that ensued – and she still hasn’t finished that novel, but she’s working on it. You can contact Claire via twitter on @clairebmcgill or via her blog From America to England.