Last year, Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas set a bold goal to serve 3,600 girls this fiscal year. Through creative and resourceful planning, we developed a strategy to expand our reach, serving girls through virtual and in-person programs, school partnerships, and our Power 2 the Girl Conference.

Although the pandemic hinders our ability to serve girls in traditional ways, our team is able to rely on our existing strategies to continue reaching girls in meaningful, transformative ways. Our quick pivot from in-person to virtual programming last March allowed us to continue reaching Dallas girls during this incredibly challenging season. Through ongoing conversations with our community, we created a number of new programs to best meet our girls’ social, emotional, and academic needs this year.

One key element of our program strategy this Spring is our school holiday camps. At programs like our “Be the Light” MLK Day Camp and our “Innovative Create-hers” Spring Break camp, students learn about relevant, girl-centric topics like women in STEM, Civic Leadership, and Black History. These camps provide girls with a COVID-safe, educational environment while their parents go to work. Girls Inc. also continues offering virtual homework help, a program that partners struggling students with volunteer professionals for one-on-one academic guidance. Through these programs, we continue serving existing Girls Inc. girls as well as new families who were not previously involved in our programs! We are also excited to partner with Girls Inc. of Tarrant County to serve the Uplift Education network with exclusive, virtual programs.

School partnerships are another critical part of our plan to reach 3,600 girls. Through programming with schools in our area, we offer courses on topics like diversity, equity and inclusion, mental and physical wellness, and media literacy. We were thrilled to be chosen as one of only five SEL (social and emotional learning) providers for DISD this school year! We also

Finally, we plan to reach 1,000 girls through our 2021 Power 2 the Girl Conference! This year’s conference is themed “Power H.E.R (Health, Equity and Reform)” and will serve girls from schools in under-resourced areas, equipping them with the social and emotional tools they need to thrive this year. Power 2 the Girl is an invitation-only conference, presented this year as a series of four sessions, (March 11, April 15, April 29, and May 22). Though small in-person gatherings at schools paired with a live-stream component, girls will participate in hands-on activities and hear from inspiring guest speakers. We are excited to reach new girls and deepen relationships with our community partners through this conference!

As we continue navigating this complex, ever-changing pandemic, Girls Inc. is dedicated to reaching Dallas area girls in new and creative ways. Through our research-based, innovative programming, we know we will reach our goal of serving 3,600 girls this fiscal year. Thank you for supporting us as we reach this bold goal!