Recently, I have started interning for a non-profit organization named Girls on the Run. This organization seeks to empower young women to recognize their own potential and boldly pursue their own dreams. GOTR has over 200 independent councils across the US and Canada, and I specifically began working with GOTR of the Florida Panhandle. The organization seeks to empower young girls through an after-school program that combines curriculum and physical activity to inspire girls to build their confidence, and foster care and compassion for self and others. Trained coaches use physical activity and dynamic discussions to build social, emotional, and physical skills in every girls while encouraging healthy habits for life. With over 100,000 volunteers, GOTR empowers at least 200,000 girls annually, and GOTR Panhandle serving over 1,000 girls at over 50 sites in 10 seasons.
An organization such as GOTR is an amazing way for young girls to activate their full potential. As a young woman myself, I have personally experienced a society that criticizes girls for everything we do. We are constantly ridiculed for things such as liking Starbucks, listening to certain music, having a crush, being confident, but not too much or we will seem cocky, and more. Girls receive such conflicting messages about how we should act and who we should be, and it can damage a woman's confidence to the point where she may not be her true self. Through the various programs at Girls on the Run, girls learn to feel greater confidence in themselves, gain awareness of the power they hold to make intentional, respectful decisions, learn to respond to others and each other with care and compassion, learn cooperative skills and teamwork, and nurture their physical, social, and emotional competencies. Girls on the Run inspires girls to build lives of purpose and to make a meaningful contribution to the community and society, and it is a cause that I am so proud and excited to be working towards. I look forward to posting more about the work that I am doing when I gain my footing more in my role as an intern.
For more information about GOTR Panhandle, please visit their website: https://www.gotrpanhandle.org
Until next time,
Shannyn Reigle
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