Girl Neighborhood Power!
Girls Incorporated® of Rapid City, South Dakota, is a private, nonprofit agency dedicated to building girls' capacity for responsible and confident adulthood, economic independence, and personal fulfillment. In 1997, the organization applied for and received a Girl Neighborhood Power! grant. The Girl Neighborhood Power! grant program, under the direction of the Health Resources and Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides funds to develop or enhance comprehensive prevention services for girls to ensure healthy development and prevent teen pregnancy.
Girls Inc. of Rapid City has a well-coordinated, comprehensive program in place to serve a predominantly Native American population. The program, Teen Connections™, targeted 12- to 15-year-old girls from high-risk environments. With the Girl Neighborhood Power! grant, Girls Inc. of Rapid City could expand the program to include a preteen advocacy component for 9- to 11-year-old girls. The overall goal of the program is to keep girls in school, take care of their primary health and social needs, and provide an environment for them to experience success.
Program Format
The Teen Connections program has three components:
*Teens for Teens is a peer leadership program that promotes health education. Teen interns plan programs, reach out to the community, and work with organizations on projects such as community health fairs and anti-smoking campaigns.
*S.A.V.E. (Stand Against a Violent Environment) is a grassroots violence prevention effort. Youth involved in S.A.V.E. have planned and implemented youth conferences, a neighborhood watch, and other community-impact programs.
Connections Advocacy is a case management program for girls at high risk because of emotional, social, and health-related problems. Teen Connections staff conduct an extensive intake process and assess the needs of each girl and her family. They then help connect the girls to social and medical services, after-school programs, career and vocational guidance, and mentoring opportunities.
*With funding from the Girl Neighborhood Power! grant, Girls Inc. of Rapid City expanded these components to serve younger girls. The foundation of the program is the caring relationship that develops between the girls and their advocates. Many of the girls come from splintered or transient families and have received little personal attention or medical care for many years. The advocates take on many roles, including coordination of primary health care needs. They also provide, or arrange for, transportation for the girls to participate in community-based programs.
Girls Inc. of Rapid City also offers after-school opportunities for girls to explore nontraditional career options, experience hands-on science programs, and get involved in sports and recreational activities. These after-school programs meet the social needs of the girls and help prevent them from becoming involved in gang activities or other high-risk behaviors. In addition, the girls have the opportunity to participate in many other programs at the Girls Inc. center, including Friendly PEERSuasion, Operation SMART, youth conferences, and much more.
Funding
Girls Inc. of Rapid City is an affiliate of Girls Incorporated®, a national organization providing research-based programs to address math and science education, pregnancy prevention, media literacy, adolescent health, substance abuse prevention, and sports participation. Funding for the Rapid City affiliate was supplemented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Girl Neighborhood Power! grant, a community-based intervention program to prevent teen pregnancy.
Use of Girl Power! Products
The Teen Connections program provides Girl Power! diaries, pins, and bookmarks to the girls enrolled in the program. Girl Power! posters hang in the Girls Inc. offices and are available for the girls to take home.
