Girls First is a 5O1-C 3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing sport and movement opportunities to underserved girls in the metropolitan New Orleans area. Girls participating in the program attend a weeklong residential sports camp held annually on the Tulane University campus and are encouraged to attend monthly activities throughout the year. The weeklong camp features supervised instruction in swimming, team and individual sports, outdoor recreational activities, nutrition, and health education. Campers are housed in traditional residence halls. Through year-round programming, girls are able to reinforce and build upon their newly acquired sports skills, develop positive body image, and learn to work in teams. Activities promote and encourage relationships between the girls as well as with counselors and volunteers.

The Need

Girls First is unique in its movement and sport specificity. No other program serves girls in the same capacity in the New Orleans area. Girls First offers girls the opportunity to play. It is through play, both structured and unstructured, that girls begin to feel good about themselves. We know that girls that actively participate in sport are less likely to become pregnant, to smoke, or to use drugs. At Girls First, a girl does not have to be a great athlete. A girl has to want to play and engage in activity. She will develop self-confidence. She will gain a greater sense of self, and she will learn to be proud of who she is and to value her health.

The Girls

The program is targeted for underserved girls from the metropolitan New Orleans Area between the ages 6-12. A counselor-in-training program has been added to provide job training and leadership opportunities to girls ages 13-16. The term “underserved” is defined as those girls who would not have the opportunity to participate in a sports program because of financial limitations or lack of physical access. Camp has a broad racial composition that includes African-Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics, and Vietnamese. The organization values and emphasizes diversity among participants. The girls come from low-income families with some living in transitional housing. The girls are referred to us through a variety of social service agencies and school-based social workers including Children’s Bureau, Kingsley House, House of Ruth, United Way, Good Shepherd Community Center, and Armstrong Family Services. Girls are selected based on an application and an interview conducted by a MSW-certified member of the board with the prospective camper and her parent(s)/guardian. Selection criteria include family income, family environment, and emotional stability.

Risk Factors Being Addressed

One of the major benefits of physical activity is that it helps people improve their physical fitness. Fitness is a state of well being that allows people to perform daily activities with vigor, participate in a variety of physical activities, and reduce their risks for health problems.

There is a profound and significant relationship between participation in sports by girls and increased self-esteem, reduced depression, and lower pregnancy rates. Girls who participate in sports are less likely to smoke and are stronger academically than their peers are.

Playing sports is one of the most important socio-culture learning experiences for boys and men. The same benefits should be afforded to our daughters and our sisters. Sports are an incredibly powerful training ground for successful people.

Program Goals & Objectives

The long-term goals we strive to achieve are to lower the teenage pregnancy rates, improve the body image, and improve the self-esteem of the girls in the program. In addition, Girls First intends to dispel negative attitudes that participants may have regarding physical activity by demonstrating that exercise can be fun. Girls First strongly believes that by achieving this goal, we can effectively decrease a participant’s inclination to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as substance abuse, alcohol abuse, and sexual activity.

The Success of the Girls First Program is Evidenced by:

• Increased participation and interest by prospective campers.
• Number of annual agency referrals from the local community continues to grow.
• 55% of our participants have attended over 75% of the scheduled monthly activities.
• The girls have displayed improved academic success, improved skills in conflict resolution and better communication with their parent(s)/guardian and school administrators.
• We have seen growth in our campers in many ways – the little girl who could barely look you in the eye is now talking face to face; the young girl who would not get into the swimming pool is now swimming like a fish; the self-conscious teen who was afraid to step on the stage is now performing at her school; and the confidence building displayed in a young camper has inspired her own mother to go back to school and get her G.E.D. This is what Girls First is all about!