What We Do
12 weeks. 24 lessons. 700,000 girls and counting.
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So what does Girls on the Run do?
One girl put it this way, "I learned that I am the boss of my brain." Helping girls take charge of their lives and define the future on their terms. You can also think of it as Can University—a place where girls learn that they can. No limits. No constraints. Only opportunities to be remarkable.
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How do we do it?
Lots of ways, but we start with helping the girls get a better understanding of who they are and what's important to them. Then we look at the role of teams and healthy relationships. And, finally, we explore how girls can positively connect with and shape the world.
And remember, we believe that life-changing experiences can be fun too—for everyone—the girls, coaches, families and other volunteers. So don't be surprised when you hear laughter along with self-reflection and see beaming smiles across the beautiful, confident faces of our girls.
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Me + Relationships + Community
Meeting twice a week in small teams of 8-15 girls, we teach life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games. The 24-lesson curriculum is taught by certified Girls on the Run® coaches and includes three parts: understanding ourselves, valuing relationships and teamwork and understanding how we connect with and shape the world at large.
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Power through Service
Acknowledging that accomplishment has many flavors, each team creates and executes a local community service project. This experience demonstrates to girls the unimaginable strength that comes from helping others.
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Up and Running
At Girls on the Run, running is not just a metaphor. We use this activity to inspire and motivate girls, encourage lifelong health and fitness and build confidence through accomplishment. At each season's conclusion, the girls and their running buddies complete a 5k running event. In some cities this is a large, community wide event and in others, it's a smaller but no less inspiring gathering of friends and family. Completing a 5k gives the girls a tangible sense of achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. The results are the same—making the seemingly impossible, possible.
Simple, engaging and extraordinary. The result? Healthy, confident girls who can.
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3rd - 5th Grade Program
Over a period of 12 weeks, girls in the 3rd through 5th grade participate in an after-school program like no other. Designed to allow every girl to recognize her inner strength, the Girls on the Run curriculum inspires girls to define their lives on their own terms. Throughout the season, the girls make new friends, build their inner confidence and celebrate all that makes them unique.
The Girls on the Run lessons encourage positive emotional, social, mental and physical development. Participants explore and discuss their own beliefs around experiences and challenges girls face at this age. We start with helping the girls get a better understanding of who they are and what’s important to them. Then, we look at the importance of team work and healthy relationships. And, finally, the girls explore how they can positively connect with and shape the world.
"GOTR let me be myself and gave me a chance to be healthy, make responsible choices and to stand up for others. I loved the coaches because they filled my heart with positiveness and believed in me. I will always be a girl on the run for as long as I live." - GOTR participant
Running is incorporated throughout the curriculum. Physical activity is woven into our program to inspire an appreciation of fitness and to build habits that lead to a lifetime of health. At the end of each three month session, the girls participate in a Girls on the Run 5k event. This celebratory, non-competitive event is the culminating experience of the curriculum. Completing the 5k gives the girls a tangible understanding of the confidence that comes through accomplishment as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. Crossing the finish line is a defining moment when the girls realize that even the seemingly impossible IS possible.
“It’s like I’m a light bulb and Girls on the Run is my power source. It’s what I need to shine bright. I feel GOTRized.” – Girls on the Run participant
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6th - 8th Grade Program
Today's middle-school girls face many challenges and obstacles that can affect their emotional and physical well-being. The Girls on Track curriculum is designed to address these challenges by empowering them to make thoughtful and healthy decisions. Like Girls on the Run, the Girls on Track curriculum is delivered over the course of 12 weeks and addresses the societal, mental and emotional challenges particular to their age.
"Girls on the Run could make any girl fearless, because when you're surrounded by people you trust, respect and care for, nothing can hold you back from being the most beautiful person you have grown to be." – Josie, Grade 6
Like the Girls on the Run curricula, we begin by encouraging the girls to examine and better understand who they are and what's important to them. Once they have a deeper awareness of their individual values, we look at the role of teams and healthy relationships. Lastly, the girls explore how they can positively connect with and shape the world.
The curriculum allows for more mature processing around certain topics including eating disorders, internet safety, relationships, cyber-bullying and tobacco and alcohol use. The girls discuss these subjects on an in-depth level and use their personal experiences to shape thought-provoking discussion. The Girls on Track curriculum provides girls with the skills to shut out the noise of the external world that is attempting to limit who she is and to instead listen to her individual truth – the one that will lead her toward an enriching and contented life.
Running is also incorporated into the curriculum. We use physical activity to inspire and motivate girls throughout the program, to encourage lifelong health and fitness, and most importantly, to build confidence through accomplishment. At the end of each season, the girls and their running buddies complete a 5k running event which gives the girls a tangible sense of achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. This culminating celebratory 5k event is a transformative moment when the girls realize that even the seemingly impossible IS possible.
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