Spotlight on Girls Take Charge
This week, we are excited to introduce Girls Take Charge as our featured nonprofit. Girls Take Charge is an inspiring organization that empowers middle and high school aged girls to become courageous, compassionate leaders in their communities. I had the opportunity to interview Alexa of Girls Take Charge and find out more about the organization, how it works, and its goals. Read below to learn what she had to say. -Heather (heather@bakingforgood.com)
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What is Girls Take Charge all about? What was the inspiration behind the program?
Girls Take Charge is a nonprofit organization seeking to inspire and empower girls across the country to become strong and compassionate leaders of tomorrow. At each of our live Girls Take Charge events, we aim at having each and every girl walk out feeling self-confident and compassionate about taking an active role in their lives and making a difference in their communities.
Beth Mooney, the founder and inspiration behind Girls Take Charge, knew that there had to be more role models for girls to look up to besides the Lindsey Lohan’s and Paris Hilton’s of Hollywood. She was determined to create a movement that showed girls that there are other role models out there and those girls take pride in and flaunt their mind, skills, and intelligence.
How long have you been working with Girls Take Charge? What has been the most rewarding aspect of the program for you?
I first encountered Girls Take Charge while taking a college course with Beth Mooney’s father at Binghamton University. When I heard him speak about the goals of Girls Take Charge I knew that it was something I needed to be a part of. I have been working with Beth for the past year to spread the message of Girls Take Charge and have found every step of the way incredibly rewarding.
The greatest gift in all of this is working at a Girls Take Charge event and seeing that every minute spent trying to grow Girls Take Charge is truly worth it. The excitement and awe on the girls faces as they discover new skills, new friends, and a new confidence while in the workshop is absolutely priceless. Listening to them explain how the day has changed their perception of their own capabilities and how they feel inspired to take risks shows me that every girl needs to experience what Girls Take Charge has to offer.
What is a typical day at a Girls Take Charge workshop like?
The Girls Take Charge curriculum has been carefully designed after years of research, surveys, and facilitation to ensure it maximizes the opportunity to teach girls key life and leadership skills that matter. A typical day includes a special set of engaging hands- on activities that all girls are sure to benefit from. College women from their communities spend the day facilitating the one to 5-day event and show them what is it be a self-confident and courageous leader. The program is highly interactive, providing an opportunity for girls to express their thoughts and experiences and hear stories from leaders of their own communities.
What do you want girls to take away from the program?
We at Girls Take Charge know that we have accomplished what we set our minds to when the girls walk away feeling motivated and excited to take on their dreams. We feel that girls today are doubtful and unsure of their own capabilities. Therefore, GTC is designed to inspire young women to take positive risks in their lives and grow into strong leaders who will one day encourage others to go for their dreams as well.
Can you tell us a bit about the Fill Your Shoes parties?
We are asked so often from women and organizations how they can help with the mission of ensuring girls have the key life and leadership skills to pursue their goals. We knew that we had to come up with a way to get people involved in helping to keep Girls Take Charge alive and thriving.
Fill Your Shoes is a special opportunity for women and/or businesses to host a get together in their home or place of work to raise support & awareness for Girls Take Charge.
Examples of Events can include:
• A Fill Your Shoes event sponsored by local businesses at a select venue
• A local business hosts an event in their place of work
• A group of women host an event in someone’s home
The latest Fill Your Shoes event, hosted at the Glenelg Model home in Unionville, Pennsylvania, was a great success! Over 130 leaders from the community spent the night enjoying live music, great food and drink, Irish step dancers, and an auction to raise money for the upcoming Girls Take Charge event at Villanova University this summer.
What are some ways that people can get involved with Girls Take Charge besides the Fill Your Shoes parties?
Girls Take Charge events are hosted at middle schools/high schools all over the country so if you think that your school could benefit from a Girls Take Charge event or if you have a group of college friends interested in facilitating an event then we would love to hear from you! Further, we are always looking for college students to bring Girls Take Charge clubs to their universities. These clubs spend the year spreading awareness about Girls Take Charge and hosting fundraisers to raise funds for upcoming events.
Do you have any upcoming events?
Yes! July 12th will kick off the first day of our 3-day Girls Take Charge workshop at Villanova University. We figured girls have so much fun and learn so much in one day with GTC, why not extend it to three?
We are also so thrilled to be hosting our second Girls Take Charge of 2010 at Binghamton University this summer. We hosted a fantastic GTC event this past January and are so excited to inspire and empower even more girls in Binghamton on July 24th.
What interested you about Baking for Good, and why did you want to get Girls Take Charge involved?
A college friend, and cousin of Emily Dubner’s, at Binghamton University told me about Baking for Good and its dedication to helping causes raise money while treating them to delicious baked goods. While I am definitely a girl who appreciates a decadent treat, I am also dedicated to spreading the idea of Girls Take Charge, as I believe it will one day transform the culture of girls and inspire them to do great things that they may not believe they can accomplish today.
After learning more about Emily Dubner through her website and her cousin’s recounts, it became clear that she is the perfect example of a true role model for girls today. She is someone who went for her dreams, took risks, and let her vision turn to reality. The idea that Baking for Good combines a passion for baking and pairs it with an awareness and compassion for community is a true inspiration. I knew that Girls Take Charge was an organization that had to be added to the list of great causes already featured on the website and was excited to see Girls Take Charge benefit from what Baking for Good set out to do.
Want to learn more about Girls Take Charge?
- Check out their website and join their facebook page!
- Interested in bringing GTC to a middle school/high school or hosting your very own “Fill Your Shoes” event? Contact Beth at BethMooney@LearningtoLead.org
- Are you a college girl looking to start a GTC club at your school or become a college facilitator? Contact Alexa at Alexa.Klorman@gmail.com for more information
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Interested in being featured on the Baking for Good blog? E-mail me at heather@bakingforgood.com with your ideas!
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