To educate and prepare girls for a life time of self-respect and healthy living.

Girls on the Run® is a life-changing, experiential learning programs for girls age eight to thirteen years old. The programs combine training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development.

The objective of Girls on the Run is to educate and empower girls at an early age in order to prevent the display of at-risk activities in the future. At risk activities include substance/alcohol use, eating disorders, early onset of sexual activity, sedentary lifestyle, depression, suicide attempts and confrontations with the juvenile justice system.

Girls on the Run® is a 501(c)3 positive youth development program which combines an interactive curriculum and running to inspire self-respect and healthy lifestyles in pre-teen girls. Our core curriculum addresses many aspects of girls’ development – their physical, emotional, mental and social well-being. Lessons provide girls with the tools to make positive decisions and to avoid risky adolescent behaviors

• To provide life-changing, high quality programs for girls
• To provide life-changing and high quality experiences to the women developing and delivering the programs
• To promote and provide an environment that allows girls and women to reach their full potential
• To positively transform how girls and women perceive themselves and their place in society

Girls on the Run honors its core values:

• We live our lives with gratitude
• We are honest
• We maintain balance in our lives
• We are tobacco and drug-free
• We seek the positive in life’s challenges
• We live outside the “Girl Box”
• We are open-minded
• We positively assert ourselves
• We make our best effort always
• We live with intention in the present
• We strive to improve our self-awareness

Demographics

• Girls on the Run program: girls in 3rd-5th grade and their families
• Girls on Track program: girls in 6th-8th grade and their families
• Program Facilitators: coaches, volunteers, women of all ages and their families

Girls on the Run is the name of our organization, but we have two programs:

• Girls on the Run — for 3rd-5th graders
• Girls on Track — for 6th-8th graders

The psychological research and principal philosophy behind both programs is the same, yet the depth of processing varies in order to be age appropriate. The Girls on Track middle school curriculum allows for more mature processing around certain topics including eating disorders, internet safety, cyber bullying and tobacco and alcohol use.

National Recognition for Girls on the Run®

Featured on CNN, NBC, ESPN, Real Simple, I-Village Live and in the following national publications: Shape Magazine, O, People, Better Homes & Gardens, Runner’s World, Fitness Magazine, Running Times, Cooking Light, Walking, Parent, American Girl, Healthy Kids, Glamour, Women’s Day, Redbook, Southern Living and extensive local media throughout the United States.

• Three 24-lesson curriculums teach life skills through group processing, running games and workouts. The three-part curriculum is taught by certified Girls on the Run® coaches and includes understanding ourselves, valuing teamwork and understanding how we connect with and shape the world at large.
• Girls choose and conduct a community service project
• At each season’s conclusion, the girls complete a 5k running event as a group

• Academic evaluations of the program show a statistically significant improvement in body image, eating attitudes and self-esteem
• Evidence also indicates an improved sense of identity and an increasingly active lifestyle for program participants

The curriculum is divided into three parts:

• The first eight lessons are centered on the girls getting to know themselves. Examining their values, their likes and dislikes, and who they envision themselves to be. As the girls get to know themselves, they are also sharing with each other. Lesson topics and learning goals include “fueling our healthy pace”, “centering: the importance of slowing down” and “celebrating gratitude.”
• The next eight lessons concentrate on team building, being supportive, learning to listen and cooperate, etc. Lesson topics and learning goals include “standing up to peer pressure”, “gossiping hurts everyone” and “it’s okay to choose my friends.”
• The last eight lessons relate to the world at large. This includes making a contribution to your community and learning to recognize and deal with the negative messages we often receive from the world (media awareness, negative peer pressure, etc.) Lesson topics and learning goals include: “learning about community”, “tuning into a new message (media literacy)” and the development and implementation of a group community project.

The 24 lessons conclude with the opportunity to participate in a 5k event.

Girls on the Run sessions are offered in the fall or in the spring.

• Fall Session: Ten or Twelve-week program meeting twice a week from August to December
• Spring Session: Ten or Twelve-week program meeting twice a week from January to May