You gotta love Facebook. For all the junk it brings into your life, it sometimes offers a bridge to your past that can open up a wealth of wondrous memories and remind you that you really were 15 years old once upon a time. That happened to me the other day when I reconnected with the 10 women I shared more than a decade with at Camp Nicolet in Eagle River, WI. It was a magical time for me, and I was elated to reconnect with the girls and join in on planning a summer reunion.
But this afternoon one of my camp-mates posted some photos of all of us, one in bikinis from one of our summer lake swims. It was shocking to see how utterly adorable, uninhibited and skinny we all were. If you’d ever asked me, I would have denied ever being that thin or that apparently comfortable in my body. As I recall, my adolescent years were filled with body image angst, limited self-confidence and a perpetual belief that I didn’t belong anywhere.
But that photo belies my memories. Camp was a sacred place for me. With only girls, no makeup and no hair dryers, I learned to be happy with who I was and didn’t stress about the normal teenage vanity issues. But not everyone has the opportunity to spend summers in Northern Wisconsin, focusing on building friendships, riding horses and learning to water ski. So how do we teach our teenage girls to like themselves in body, mind and spirit? Is there a place where young girls can go to learn that who they are inside is what matters, that they are capable of anything and that nurturing relationships with other girls will allow for meaningful friendships that may very well last a lifetime?
Fortunately there is such a place, and it’s right here in Phoenix! It’s called Girls on the Run, and it inspires girls from third through eighth grades to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running. Girls on the Run teaches girls to believe in their limitless potential and their ability to pursue their own individual dreams.
GOTR started in 1996 in Charlotte, NC, with only a handful of pre-adolescent girls. It’s now grown to more than 130,000 girls in 200+ cities in North America. With more than 50,000 volunteers, GOTR, now an official 501(c)3 organization, hosted more than 250 5K running events in 2012 across the United States and Canada.
Cindy Brown, a member of Temple Chai who taught second grade religious school for eight years there, is the president of the board of directors of GOTR for the Maricopa and Pinal chapters. She initially got involved by forming a team on her school campus in Cave Creek. As head coach for three seasons, Brown declares, “I became more and more excited watching my teams grow both in number and in the sense of a team. The program helps adolescent girls live happy, healthy and joyful lives through lessons that provide positive body image, community participation and building healthy peer relationships.” The running part of it, Brown explains, is a fun way to learn goal setting and experience a huge sense of accomplishment by the end of the 12-week season.
Serving on the board allows Brown to recruit new coaches and start-up sites, to raise funds for scholarships and to build bridges with local businesses to support the end-of-season 5K runs. According to Brown, “Every girl deserves the right to reach her potential and to be given the skills to live confidently and healthy, no matter their circumstance.” On average, the board provides approximately 70% of participants with some financial assistance. “Our board is very proud,” boasts Brown, “that in our 10 years in the Valley, we have never had to turn away a girl due to financial need.”
I asked Brown if she saw any specific crossover between Judaism and the mission and goals of GOTR. She answered emphatically, “I’ve noticed a strong connection between the values and lessons taught in the GOTR curriculum and the daily practices of Jewish life. Making the world a better place through gemilut chasadim, acts of loving kindness, is a common theme.” The program also teaches girls to accept themselves and appreciate the differences between one another. These early lessons facilitate empathy and help girls develop compassion for others.
“The practice of avodah, working to build connections between oneself and the community, is also evident,” she adds. “As a way to tie together a semester of lessons, each team collaborates on a community-service project for either their school or a local charity.”
Helen Jacobs, currently a coach at Knox Elementary School in Chandler, agrees that GOTR and Judaism are connected through the teaching of similar values. Jacobs became a “running buddy” in the spring of 2012. A running buddy is an adult, parent, teacher, older sibling or community volunteer who accompanies the girls on the 5K race at the end of the season. She then became a coach in fall of 2012.
Jacobs believes the benefits of this program are myriad. “GOTR provides an opportunity for the girls to express their opinions on topics that are relevant to their age group without being judged on their answers. In addition, they are involved in a healthy, physical activity.”
While girls are encouraged to run during the physical workouts, Jacobs says, “They are not in any way penalized should they decide to walk or skip. As they build up their endurance during the season, they become much more self-confident and realize they can do so much more than they first thought. I have seen many of the girls who were very timid at the beginning of the season blossom by the end of the 12 weeks.”
GOTR is truly a transformational experience for the girls and adults who participate in it. The program teaches valuable life skills in a dynamic and interactive way and prepares girls physically and emotionally to complete a celebratory 5K running event. Their overall goal: “To unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.”
