Developing and Maintaining Healthy Lifestyles

Girl Scout Outreach empowers girls throughout San Diego County's underserved areas with the self-confidence to make positive health, education and career decisions. Through our after-school, in-school and community center programs, girls develop skills in leadership, community service, conflict resolution, communication and critical thinking.

A diverse, bilingual team of trained staff - Program Leaders serve as mentors. Our staff plan, coordinate and deliver educational, age-appropriate programs in collaboration with local organizations and community groups as we develop adult leadership within the community.

Girl Scout Outreach programs complement existing school curriculum. They meet the needs of the communities and the girls within. Content is also specifically designed to help girls develop and maintain healthy and productive lifestyles. Projects and activities are based on seven focus areas: Healthy Mind Healthy Body, Human Relations, Life Skills, Arts and Humanities, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), Leadership Development and Community Service.

The content of all Girl Scout journeys have been correlated (by grade level) to the new national Common Core Standards and the 21st Century Skills standards, as well as to the Health & PE, Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies learning objectives for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

For more information, contact lesparza@sdgirlscout.org or (619) 610-0788.

Facts about Girl Scout Outreach

• Girl Scout Outreach serves approximately 8,000 girls a year throughout 150 schools and community outreach programs, from low- or moderate-income neighborhoods.
• Community facilities include the Girls Rehabilitation Facility (a teen detention center), the San Diego Center for Children, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Teen Options and Polinsky Center.
• Girls are re-engaged throughout the year according to their interests; events, camps, series, travel and or troops.
• Council Campership and Opportunity Funds pay for girls' camps and registration fees.

WHAT OUTREACH DOES

The Girl Scout Outreach program offers FREE onsite workshops at schools, residence facilities, homeless shelters, detention centers and more. We work closely with site contacts/directors/principals to make sure our programs complement the current school curriculum and the needs of the community. Our programs cover a variety of topics including math, science, character education and relationship skills, and are delivered as fun interactive activities and Take Action projects led by professional trained staff.

All we need is a place to meet! - Classroom, library, lunch arbor, cafeteria/ auditorium.

Programs are delivered in 1hr 15min sessions which can be spread over any time period convenient for the community group or school. For instance, once a week for four, six, to 10 weeks; the choice is up to the facility.

Girl Scout Outreach provides all supplies, including general supplies, props, equipment and take-home packets. We understand that facilities are often hesitant to volunteer their space; so we make sure to live by our Girl Scout rule of always leaving a place cleaner than we found it.

We serve girls K - 12 in groups of 10 to 200! For larger groups, we separate girls into smaller groups so we can deliver age-appropriate programming. We work year-round to serve girls and schedule times for our sessions far in advance based on the needs of the school and/or community group.

Girl Scout Outreach - Making an Impact

Girl Scout Outreach has served over 100,000 girls since 1980!

Girl Scout Outreach Goals

• Girls become leaders at home and in their communities
• Girls solve problems with assertiveness and creativity
• Girls increase self-esteem and confidence
• Girls become effective citizens of society

School teachers talk about Girl Scout Outreach:
"Girls have increased motivation towards learning and increased confidence."

"Girl Scouts complements the curriculum, gives the girls an opportunity to talk about things they are interested in and to work cooperatively with others."

Recently, a Girls Rehabilitation Facility coach noticed that several girls became upset when facility staff withdrew them from an Outreach session. When she asked them why, one responded, "Because no one is judging me there and I get to be a kid again."

Girls talk about Outreach

AMUSE Day Camp 4^th and 5^th grade girls, when asked about working in groups and connecting with others:

"... I didn't think I was going to be comfortable working with so many girls I didn't know but I learned a lot from them and I didn't feel nerves about sharing my opinions!"

"Don't be afraid to talk... try new things even if you think you won't like it, I feel I was very brave and now I'm not so shy!"

"I want to tell others to challenge themselves and try new things every day. You can really be anyone you want to be just by trying!"

After-school groups: When asked about one thing they discovered about themselves, after an anti-bullying program R.A.N.T. (Revolt Against Negative Talk):

"I learned that people can actually like me when I'm nice... I don't have to be mean to others."

"... it is up to me to stand up for myself by being assertive and not letting others get to me by reacting to their own negative energy."

"I learned that being aggressive with words is just as bad as hitting someone. I want to inspire others to kind and understanding with each other."

Outcomes of the Program

The Girl Scout Leadership Experience

The Girl Scout Leadership Experience engages girls in discovering themselves, connecting with others, and taking actions to make the world a better place.

Discover: Girls understand themselves and their values and use their knowledge and skills to explore the world.

Connect: Girl care about, inspire, and team with others locally and globally.

Take Action: Girls act to make the world a better place.

In Girl Scouting, it's not just "what girls do" (activities), but "how" (processes) they do them (activities) that when used together, impact girls. Girl Led, Cooperative Learning, and Learning by Doing ensure the quality and promote the fun and friendship so integral to Girl Scouting. Here's how Girl Scouts defines these processes:

Girl Led: Girls play an active part in figuring out the what, where, when, how, and why of their activities. In partnership with their Program Leaders, girls lead their planning and decision-making as much as possible. This ensures that girls are engaged in their learning and experience leadership opportunities as they prepare to become active participants in their local global communities.

Learning by Doing: A hands-on learning process that engages girls in continuous cycles of action and reflection that result in deeper understanding of concepts and mastery of practical skills. As they participate in meaningful activities and then reflect on them, girls get to explore their own questions, discover answers, gain new skills, and share ideas and observations with others. Throughout the process, it's important for girls to be able to connect their experiences to their lives and apply what they have learned.

Cooperative Learning: Through cooperative learning, girls work together toward goals that can only be accomplished with the help of others in an atmosphere of respect and collaboration. Cooperative learning encourages the sharing of skills, knowledge, and learning. Girl Scouts' all-girl provides a space for girls to feel powerful and emotionally and physically safe. The environment helps girls experience a sense of belonging even in the most diverse groups.

Girl Scout Outreach is a wonderful program for your classroom or community group

What does the Outreach Team do?

Specially trained outreach staff goes into schools and community groups. We provide an after-school program that generally lasts four weeks, one day a week, for an hour and 15 minutes; or an in-school program for four sessions of one hour each. We provide age-appropriate activities and educational programs centered on topics ranging from science to arts and culture to character education. We welcome teachers' suggestions, and work to complement the needs and current curriculum of each school.

What does the Outreach Program cost the school?

Absolutely nothing! This program is free for any participating school. All we ask is for a meeting space. We've worked in classrooms, libraries and auditoriums. In addition, we require no paperwork. All arrangements can be done over the phone or by e-mail. We can make special arrangements to accommodate your school's schedule.

What about the girls? How many can you serve, and at what grade levels?

Girl Scouts is for every girl age 5-17. We can accommodate any number of girls -- some school groups had over 200. We maintain safety standards, always making sure there are at least two adults present and one additional adult for every 20 girls. Girl Scout programs are developed to appeal to girls in all age levels. We partner with after school care programs such Prime Time, SAY, YMCA and ACES.

What is the cost to the girl?

Participation in our after-school program costs only $12 per girl and is paid by her family. This one-time payment covers her Girl Scout membership for one year. There are no other required costs, and girls are not required to purchase uniforms or sell cookies. There may be some costs for optional events throughout the year. Financial assistance is available.

The Outreach program lasts a few sessions. What happens when those sessions are over?

One of our goals is to continue to engage girls and their families throughout the year via events, workshops, camps and more! Also, while we are providing the program, we seek and develop adult leadership within the community to continue to provide girls with Girl Scout programming. Often, we adults step up as troop leaders for the girls. Troop leaders do not have to be a parent - a troop leader can be an aunt or other family member, friends or community volunteers. Men are also welcomed to lead troops with a female co-leader. Learn more about volunteering here. We also invite the girls to various optional events throughout the year, including camping weekends and fun workshops.

Council Staff Directory

Please contact Lucy Esparza for general questions related to this department.
To sign up your school/site, contact Geannie Gomez.