Girls Inc.

Helping girls grow

By Leah Etling on Jul 13, 2012 in Giving, People

With a long track record of empowering programming and after school care for girls age five and up, Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara serves about 1000 young ladies each year in the Santa Barbara and Goleta areas.

This dynamic program aims to make girls “strong, smart and bold” and inspire positive decisions that will steer them toward bright futures. Primary participants are ages 5-12, formative years when girls establish role models, value sets and impressions about the world at large.

Yardi supports Girls Inc. with funding for scholarships given to girls whose families cannot afford for them to attend after school classes and summer programs, which are offered in Santa Barbara and Goleta. Nearly 90 percent of the girls attending Girls Inc.’s downtown Santa Barbara after school program require financial aid.

“Girls Inc. as an organization would not be possible without the generosity of our donors like Yardi Systems. Yardi has been incredibly generous to Girls Inc., in fact has been one of our most generous donors,” said  Kary O’Brien, grants manager for Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara. During a period of budget cutbacks, Yardi’s support helped many girls in the program who had been receiving assistance from the state of California not have to quit attending.

“Girls Inc. for many of them is the one consistent home they’ve had their whole lives,” said O’Brien, speaking to the low-income students whose parents are often working multiple jobs to keep their families afloat. The Girls Inc. centers aim to be places of support and success for their girls, where they can learn new things, build fast friendships, and get help with academic, social or family issues.

Among the many emphases of Girls Inc. is promoting math, science and technology as vital, fun subjects that could be great future careers or interests for the girls who attend the program.  The Santa Barbara Girls Inc. has a strong participation rate from Latinas, who are underrepresented in science and tech careers.

“We get to do the fun stuff – pick the concepts that might be presented in class during the school day and provide hands on, experiential ways to understand the mathematical concepts or scientific concepts being presented,” O’Brien said. Often, the girls are having so much fun they don’t even realize that they are learning. Hands-on activities like dissecting a squid or cooking with math lessons factored in are two sample activities.

Girls Inc. is looking at ways to increase its reach to more girls, and exploring partnerships with school sites to offer additional after school activities. The organization also wants to promote science and tech-based careers for girls, using a national model called Eureka that pairs students with local companies and universities.

“It really does take all of us collectively to improve our community. We’re only as strong as the weakest link. The more we facilitate healthy development of all our girls and families, the better we all we be,” O’Brien said. For more information on Girls Inc. programs, contact Beth Cleary at [email protected] or call (805) 963-4757 x11.