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"Stop the Violence!" Girl Action Team Projects

Here are examples of social change projects designed by Girl Action Teams that aim to prevent and stop violence:

Team 1, Boys Hope Girls Hope, Phoenix: Get It Across!
Girl Action Team 1 was troubled about the lack of information and awareness regarding the abuse they saw happening in their community. The girls researched abuse, and created fliers to increase community awareness of abuse and how to stop it. The girls also made t-shirts that they wore at Metro Center Mall to act as human billboards. By passing out flyers with resources for abuse victims while wearing their t-shirts, the awareness campaign educated the community and left lasting knowledge about abuse.

Team 6, Crittenton Academy, Phoenix: Now or Later?
Team 6 believes that jealousy leads to controlling and abusive relationships among their peers. The girls created a skit titled “Now and Later” showing how jealousy can lead to controlling and abusive relationships.  It emphasized that if you are in an abusive relationship, it’s important to leave now – not wait until later. During the school performance, the girls distributed informational cards with domestic violence resources, and Now and Later candies. The girls also designed a quiz to make the audience aware of the differences between healthy and unhealthy jealousy. The girls want to stop the cycle of dating violence in their community.

Team 17, Coronado High School, Scottsdale: Stay Strong
Girl Action Team 17 believes that one domestic violence victim is one too many! By doing research on the issues of abuse and inviting a speaker to come to their school and present to students, the girls created an environment that encouraged others as well as themselves to understand that they are not alone. Team 17’s message is that violent acts do not have to own you for the rest of your life and with the right support and resources, a new day is possible.

Team 21, Independence High School, Glendale: Face To Face With Abuse
The young women at Independence High School were concerned about how sexual abuse was affecting girls and women in their community. The girls researched abuse, had a guest speaker about the topic at a team meeting, contacted local domestic violence agencies, and had in-depth discussions about the issue. They created posters, and distributed information about abuse at the school-wide health fair. The girls raised awareness about the warning signs and effects of abuse.

TEAM 3, PALA MIDDLE SCHOOL, EAST SAN JOSE: STOP THE VIOLENCE
The girls on Team 3 are tackling the violence they see on school campus and in their community. They created a workshop on the causes of violence and ways to prevent it for peers, teachers, parents, guardians, and other members of the community. In order to create long lasting change, the girls also created a Myspace page to reduce violence among their peers!

TEAM 11, LEADERSHIP  PUBLIC SCHOOLS, HAYWARD: RECLAIMING OUR COMMUNITY
Team 11 is committed to making a difference in their community by bringing awareness of the growing problem of gang violence to the surface.  The girls know that more gangs in their community means more violence and drugs and less growth and development for youth.  They created a documentary video to persuade youth to stop joining gangs. The video was shown at a parent/guardian night and a family/community night at the school campus.

TEAM 12, EAST PALO ALTO CHARTER SCHOOL, EAST PALO ALTO: THE VIOLENCE STOPS NOW
Team 12 was deeply impacted by recent gang violence which led to several deaths in their community. The girls created an interactive presentation with a video and a skit to discuss alternatives to gang life. Following the skit and video, girls led a Q & A session with participants on the affects of violence and where to go for more resources for violence prevention.  The team also participated in community peace rallies to unite youth and community members in the struggle against gang violence.

TEAM 16, KIPP SAN FRANCISCO BAY ACADEMY, SAN FRANCISCO:  EDUCATE YOURSELF
These girls believe that a root cause of issues they want to change, like homelessness, unemployment, and violence, is dropping out of school. They know that education is a way to learn about yourself and the world so that you can be a leader in your community. They partnered with Definitive Education (DEF ED), an organization that promotes hip hop values of acceptance, non-violence, creative self-expression, and physical fitness to teach students to value art and the learning process. With DEF ED, they created a video to share positive educational experiences to encourage their peers to stay in school.

TEAM 20, BALBOA HIGH SCHOOL, SAN FRANCISCO: NO MORE TRUANCY…NO MORE GANGS
The girls on Team 20 are tired of gang activity and truancy at their school. They know that students who cut class are more likely to engage in risky behavior such as joining gangs. The girls produced 5 short videos to encourage students to stay in school and to make healthy choices about how they spend their time out of class. The girls presented the videos on campus and to various schools within their community.

TEAM 22, CESAR CHAVEZ MIDDLE SCHOOL, EAST PALO ALTO: CREATING SAFE SPACES
This team identified the lack of a safe space for girls to communicate about their daily struggles as a real problem at their school. They used their team meetings to focus on personal development and growth, and the coaches provided a space where the girls could express themselves through art. The created collages, poetry, and dialogue to help girls cope with issues of identity, body image, and relationships. The girls can use these skills to help them transition to high school and beyond.

TEAM 29, MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL, MOUNTAIN VIEW: CAN’T HOLD US DOWN
The girls from Team 29 feel that because of the media, girls are pressured to obsess over their physical appearance and boys are pressured to act tough. They created a video with statistics, images from magazines, music video clips, and student interviews to create dialogue on how media impacts gender relations and creates negative stereotypes of each gender. After showing the video to audiences, girls lead interactive discussions on the topic of gender roles and the media. At the end of each session they provided audience members with action steps on how to change what we see in the media.

TEAM 31, MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL, FREMONT: EDUCATING OUR COMMUNITY ON DARFUR
Team 31 wants more people to know about the current genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. They partnered with Sudan Reach, an organization dedicated to promoting positive change in women's lives in Sudan, to host an information night for youth and adults in their community. The evening included speakers and a documentary screening highlighting the history of the genocide and action steps that we can take from the United States to put a stop to it. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Sudan Reach to support women who are working to empower themselves and to end the genocide.

TEAM 32, EAST PALO ALTO BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB/EDISON-MCNAIR ACADEMY, EAST PALO ALTO: DON’T BE FOOLED
Girl Action Team 32 has seen enough. They are tired of their peers joining gangs because it seems like “the cool thing to do” and because youth are unsure of where to find outlets to express themselves. The team created a magazine with information about alternatives to gangs, like participating in after school programming and using creative expression as a tool to strengthen self esteem. The girls hosted a release party of the magazine that brought together parents/guardians, school officials, and youth. The team believes that this is just the start of the community uniting to guide youth to positive community activities.

TEAM 34, BURNETT ACADEMY, CENTRAL SAN JOSE: NO MORE VIOLENCE
This Team is fed up with gang violence in their community. They are preventing their peers from joining gangs by making students aware of the negative consequences associated with gang life. They wrote a script, acted in, and produced a video that was shown to the 6th graders at their school.  The girls believe that now that their peers are informed about the realities of gangs and the impact gang violence has on the community, they will not want to join gangs.

TEAM 37, RUSSELL MIDDLE SCHOOL, MILPITAS: OPERATION: STOP GOSSIP
These girls believe that many of the fights and broken friendships at their school result from rumors and talking about other people. The girls created a campaign to encourage students to stop talking negatively about others.  The campaign included creating t-shirts that read, “Stop Gossip!” The girls educated students on campus about the negative impacts of gossiping while wearing their t-shirts and passing out ribbons to students who joined their campaign.

TEAM 39, LIONEL WILSON PREP ACADEMY, EAST OAKLAND: STOP THE VIOLENCE, STOP THE SILENCE
The girls of Team 39 believe that people need to NOT be silent about abuse. They created an after school program for students to dialogue on the impacts of abuse in their community. They also used this group to learn about different types of abuse and how to prevent it in their lives. This team believes that speaking about the issue will ignite community action to prevent a cycle of abuse.

TEAM 44, MENLO PARK BOYS & GIRLS CLUB, EAST MENLO PARK: ABUSE KNOWS NO AGE
Team 44 wants to stop abuse in their community. The girls partnered with New Voices for Youth, an organization which assists young people in media production for social change, to produce a video which raised awareness about different types of abuse and provided resources for how to prevent it. The video included real life testimonials from abuse survivors. The team showed the video to local community centers and schools in their district.

TEAM 1, BOYS HOPE GIRLS HOPE, PHOENIX: EDUCATING PEERS ON DOMESTIC ABUSE
The girls of Team 1 believe that there is a stigma around talking about domestic abuse. The girls authored a play to create public awareness among students about speaking out on this issue.  Their play will educate youth about safe resources in their community and how to access them.  They presented their play to schools in their school district.

TEAM 3, CENTERRA MIRAGE MIDDLE SCHOOL, GOODYEAR: OPERATION GOLDEN RULE
These girls believe that many of the fights and broken friendships at their school result from bullies influencing other students.  The team educated their peers about following “the golden rule” and treating each other with respect, in a school wide assembly. The girls wrote and starred in the play they presented at that assembly. The play deals directly with school bullies and the effect on both those who are bullied and those who do the bullying.  The girls also encouraged a respectful atmosphere at their school by creating and handing out “star awards” to peers who are seen doing something kind for another person.

TEAM 5, GRIFFITH ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: GIRLS: STOP VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY
Girl Action Team 5 is fired up about starting a campaign to take a stand against violence in their community. The team will teach girls about self-awareness and self-esteem in so that girls stop being part of creating violence through gossiping and bullying and also stand up against violence in all forms.  The team created and presented an original educational campaign that engages 7th and 8th grade girls. The curriculum includes discussions and activities on inner beauty, self-confidence, girl power and supporting beauty in others. They will tie in discussions on beauty and self-esteem and how these relate to violence in the community.

TEAM 11, ARTHUR M HAMILTON ELEMENTARY, PHEONIX: CREATING A SAFE SPACE
The girls of Team 11 have been working together to create a space in their team meeting for open discussion on community issues.  After their community had violent acts occur to young women, the girls talked about where to go for help and how to create a sisterhood to support each other.  The girls will continue to work as a team on being a network of friends who watch out for each other and know how to offer support.

TEAM 15, WILSON ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: STOP THE ABUSE OF CHILDREN
The sexual exploitation of children is a sensitive topic.  The girls of Team 15 believe that by encouraging their peers to speak out about the issue of sexual abuse, they will create a youth voice in the community. They developed a platform for open communication, and organized an open forum for both parents and adults to talk about safeguarding the community.  By incorporating a youth voice into this discussion, the girls hope to impact the way adults approach and talk to children about the issue of abuse.

TEAM 16, STARSHINE ACADEMY, PHOENIX: NO MORE HATERS
The girls of Team 16 have determined that jealousy is the main cause of “haters” in their school, especially among middle school students. They are creating change through an awareness campaign that supports a community of understanding and tolerance amongst their peers.  The girls will distribute information to students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade that focuses on inner-esteem.

TEAM 18, JACK L KUBAN ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: THE “HOW TO” OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION
The girls of Team 18 want to empower youth with confidence and self-esteem so that they are able to deal with peer conflict in a safe manner. The girls believe that it is important to have these skills before entering middle school, where peer conflict often arises. They delivered public service announcements to 5th grade students in their school by acting them out live in the class rooms. The PSAs offer information, resources, and choices for students on how to respond and deal with conflict safely.

TEAM 20, SANTA MARIA MIDDLE SCHOOL, PHOENIX: CREATING AWARNESS ABOUT ABUSE
The girls at Santa Maria Middle School want to raise awareness about child abuse, and how students can safely find resources on this issue.  The girls created a 30 minute presentation for their peers that includes identifying signs of abuse, the effects of it, and resources in their community to get help.  They presented to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students at their school. They hope that by raising awareness less youth will face this serious issue alone.   

TEAM 21, INDEPENDENCE HIGH SCHOOL, GLENDALE: STOP THE VIOLENCE
The girls at Independence High School want to decrease student violence by addressing the issue of racism.  The girls started a public awareness campaign at their school about the correlation between racism in the community, and student violence on campus.  They wrote original skits depicting racist encounters, and performed them at a school assembly. The girls are recording their performance and will offer it to school administrators to add to the school’s curriculum on conflict resolution.   


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