These are just a few of the lesson themes from Girls on the Run curriculum, a life-changing program for girls in third through eighth grades.
While living in Washington, D.C., in 2010, I became involved with the local Girls on the Run council on a whim. I was a runner and looking for volunteer opportunities. It seemed like a good fit to spend spare time helping as a 5K committee member. I had no idea that Girls on the Run would have a life-changing effect on me.
I happened to be placed at the finish line of the 5K that season and seeing the powerful look of accomplishment on every girl’s face as she completed the 5K was incredible. I quickly realized this wasn’t just a running program; it was transformative.
That’s the thing about Girls on the Run – it’s so much more than just running. Over the course of a 10-week season every spring and fall, girls meet as a team with their coaches twice a week to train for a 5K. At each practice, the workouts are designed around a central theme from our guided curriculum encouraging girls to recognize their inner strength and cultivate positive emotional, social, mental, and physical development. The lessons effectively equip every participant with life skills to live a joyful, healthy, and confident life beyond the finish line.
The following year I served as the 5K Race Director for the Girls on the Run DC Council. Throughout the year, I began to realize that the program’s transformative power wasn’t limited just to our young participants. It was one of the few times in my life where I was surrounded by women in a professional setting who didn’t undercut each other, who didn’t talk behind each other’s backs, and who could genuinely enjoy eating a Georgetown cupcake without lamenting the rest of the day about how to burn off the extra calories. It was liberating.
In the summer of 2011, I moved to Shreveport with my husband for his Neurosurgery Residency at University Health. A few years later in the summer of 2013, a small group of dedicated men and women in Shreveport worked together to bring a Girls on the Run Council to our area. We officially launched our first season in January 2014. Supporters of our program include The Ballengee Foundation, the Guthikonda Family, The Powers Foundation, Women’s Health Clinic, Boyd Family Dentistry, Lang & Blackwood Orthodontics, Cosse Silmon Orthodontics, Breast Care Specialists, Chemistry Hair Salon, Citizens National Bank, Jamey & Marci Moore, The Lyons Group at Raymond James, Chuck Horne RE/MAX Executive Realty, and University Veterinary Hospital. Since our inception, we have grown to serve over 300 girls in Northwest Louisiana, and its effect has been expansive.
One of the most rewarding benefits of the program is receiving feedback from parents and teachers about the changes that they see in the girls who are participating. Every season we receive phone calls and emails letting us know that the program is working and how amazed they are at the newfound confidence they see in their daughter or student.
After teaching the lesson on how to stand up for yourself followed by a lesson on how to handle gossip, we learned that a young fifth grader had confronted her friend with the following statement, “I feel disappointed when you talk badly about others behind their back because I know you’re so much better than that. I would like for you to please stop saying mean things.”
The teacher shared that this particular group of girls had fallen into a vicious cycle of name calling and backstabbing and exclusivity until Girls on the Run was offered at their school. She was astounded by the way in which they were now handling conflict.
We also hear many times over from parents how their daughters “come out of their shell” after participating in Girls on the Run. Or, how they’ve incorporated some of the lessons into life at home.
For example, for the lesson titled “Self-Talk Matters” the girls come up with a sign or signal to alert their friends when they’re saying something negative about themselves. A negative self-talk statement might be, “I could never run a 5k” or “I’m not good at math.” One mother shared that she hadn’t realized how often she negatively talked about her own physical appearance until her daughter brought it to her attention after the “Self-Talk Matters” lesson. She shared that she and her daughter now have a signal to stop each other if one of them launches into negative self-talk.
And yet the most profound impact of the program continues to be seen at the finish line of the end-of-season celebratory 5K, as I had witnessed so many years ago when I first became involved in DC. Watching every girl’s face beam with pride and accomplishment at the culmination of a hard-earned 10-week season is nothing short of inspiring.
My most memorable 5K finish line experience was at the end of our first Shreveport season. One of the girls in the program that year had cerebral palsy. At times, her running was more labored than her teammates. The other girls recognized this, and throughout the season they always acknowledged her efforts through “Energy Awards,” which is a fun part of a GOTR practice where girls are recognized by their teammates for showing their inner strength and motivating others.
On the morning of our celebratory 5K, all of the runners had finished except for our final Girl on the Run, her dad and two coaches. Once they were visible about 100 yards away, her teammates who had previously finished, noticed and sprinted out to meet her. Running together as a cheering pack, they all crossed the finish line together. It was a beautiful example of teamwork and the power in connectedness, and there wasn’t a dry eye at the finish line.
So when I get asked what exactly Girls on the Run does, I always pause hoping to gather the right words. It really isn’t just about the running. We spend 10 weeks teaching young girls that they’re worth it, and by the time they cross the finish line, you know without a doubt that
they truly believe it.
Written by: Beth Ann Menger