The YouthPort partnership continues to grow month by month. Most recently, Boys & Girls Club has been working with Tanager Place to teach third through sixth grade girls the importance of self-respect and healthy living through a program called Girls On The Run.
While the cold winter weather in Iowa finally dwindles down and we finally enter Spring, this group of girls meets twice a week after school for Girls on the Run, a 10-week program for girls that teaches life skills through fun, engaging lessons while preparing them to run a 5k at the end of the season. Each practice includes 30-45 min of exercise while discussing issues that girls their age must contend with such as bullying, self-image, staying positive and celebrating their uniqueness. Throughout the season, the girls gain a better understanding of each other and themselves by discussing these topics and working to achieve the goal of running a 5k.
The team includes ten Club members from Taylor Boys & Girls Club and three girls who receive services from Tanager Place. These girls are working together to gear up for the end-of-season community 5k at Noelridge Park on Saturday, May 3, where they will join hundreds of other girls who participate in the program at other sites.
The girls are nervous to run the 5k, but are looking forward to celebrating their hard work and two and a half months of training. They have enjoyed the program and continue to learn more about themselves with each practice.
Simple, engaging and extraordinary. The result? Healthy, confident girls who can.