The JLR believes all young women should have access to the tools necessary for a bright future. Our volunteers will have a positive impact on the lives of teenage girls, grades 7-12, through innovative programs focusing on self-esteem, nutrition, leadership and mentoring. GIRLSrock! consists of workshops that will be conducted individually throughout the year. Each program is approximately two and a half hours long.

Calendar of Events:
January 16… the kitchen @ Edgerton Community Center
February 9… the job @ Wilson Foundation Academy
March 11… the kitchen @ East High School
April 5… the defense,@ Nazareth College Golisano Academic Center
April 8… the job @ John Marshall High School
April 22… the kitchen @ Edison Education Complex

GIRLSrock! … the Kitchen
Our goal is to show teen girls that nutritious food choices can be EASY, DELICIOUS, and FUN. During two after school and/or weekend events, approximately 40 girls will have a chance to prepare a healthy breakfast smoothie, an “on-the-go” snack (trail mix), a simple meal (pizza), and a yummy dessert (fruit crisp). They will learn about how small changes can have big health benefits and take home their new recipes in a recipe box that they personalize themselves. With the help of a professional nutritionist and JLR volunteers, the girls will take away the message that with a little creativity and an open mind, they can master the kitchen and their diets!

GIRLSrock! ...the Job
This Saturday program focuses on career awareness. The session will begin with two small groups. “Rockin’ the interview” will begin with a discussion on interview skills followed by a mock interview to practice new skills. Participants will be provided with handouts that they can use when preparing for their first application and interview process. “Rockin’ the fashion” goal is to make these young ladies aware of dress and manners etiquette. The session begins with an interactive PowerPoint on dress appropriateness at work. Next the young ladies will break into groups. They will use a roll of paper to draw a frame of a girl. The objective is to create an outfit out of scrap fabric and put makeup on the figure that would be appropriate for a job or interview. The girls will then present their women figures to the other groups and a discussion will begin. Finally the young ladies will play a “Cranium” based game about manners, etiquette, and appropriate dress. The participants will come together for “Rockin’ Careers”. The goal of this station is to make these young ladies aware of various careers that are available. During this station, the girls will listen to five different professionals explain about their careers, the education/training that they needed, and what is expected of them from their employers in terms of appropriate dress, actions, and responsibilities. The girls will have time after each speaker to participate in a question/answer session to inquire more about what they have just learned. 

GIRLSrock! … the Defense
GIRLSrock!...the Defense’s goal is to provide teenage girls with tools to maintain their personal safety in many different facets of life. We will engage the girls in four topic sessions on a Saturday afternoon: Physical Self Defense, Self Image, Bullying, and Internet Safety. Physical Self Defense will be an interactive topic designed to demonstrate easy, quick-to-learn techniques for self defense. The girls will take with them a better physical sense of personal protection when faced with a dangerous situation. The session will be instructed by a professional skilled in self defense and martial arts techniques with support of JLR Members. Self Image will spotlight body image topics and self-esteem. A thought-provoking speaker with personal experience in overcoming an eating disorder will lead the discussion with the girls. Our goal is to promote a frank and open discussion regarding eating disorders, self image issues, media interpretations, and healthy ways to build self-esteem and body-image. The Bullying topic will be a chance for girls to engage in a discussion exploring various forms of bullying (physical, verbal/rumors, and internet). Led by a young, engaging professional in the education field, the girls will have a chance to interact by brainstorming solutions to various bullying situations. The focus for this session is to explore three key ideas: (a) what do to do if you are being bullied, (b) what to do if you see someone being bullied, and (c) what to do if you are being pressured to bully someone else. Our fourth session, Internet Safety, is an important topic in today’s world. Our goal is to have an open discussion with the girls to help them understand the importance of protecting their identity while online, as well as ensuring their personal safety. It will be an interactive discussion touching on myspace, facebook, chatrooms and more. The goal is to assist the girls in understanding the importance of portraying themselves in a positive light on the internet, and the dangers that could exist if not careful of the type of information or images that are posted or shared. 

GIRLSrock! featured on RNews
click here to view

GIRLSrock! Press Release
click here to view/download (.pdf)

GIRLSrock! Sponsors:

• Arbonne International
• Hurd Orchard

A special thank you to Arbonne for their generous donation of $1,000 to the GIRLSrock! committee. They collected money during a recent Arbonne regional meeting and selected the JLR GIRLSrock! proposal as the recipient of their gift.

photo (left to right): Holly Nielsen, Kristina McDonnell, Beth Smythe, Lisa Cove and Shela Giess