Check out the projects Girl Action Teams in Richmond created during the 2009-10 program year.

Spring 2010:

Team # 1 - Albert Hill Middle School – Reducing Stress
After discussing the many reasons why youth turn to drugs and alcohol, the girls found one root cause that really stood out – stress. The team decided to conduct a stress reduction seminar for 5th grade students. The seminar was 45 minutes in length and included an introduction, 3 stress reducing "stations" and a closing with a Q and A. The stress reduction ideas the girls shared during the seminar included art therapy projects, meditation, yoga, breathing exercises and journaling. They hope the 5th graders will have the tools they need to tackle stress so they won't turn to drugs and alcohol when they get to middle school.

Team # 2 - Binford Middle School – Stopping Teen Pregnancy
The girls at Binford Middle School feel that too many teens are getting pregnant and dropping out of school. They believe that teens are not aware of the consequences of sexual activity and want youth to know they have a choice in what they do.  The girls decided to have a bake sale and distribute educational messages with the baked goods. They met with their principal to have messaging approved and created posters, fliers and price menus to advertise the sale. During the sale, the girls gave a flyer with each item that read "What's Happening: Too many teens are getting pregnant and dropping out of school. What Can We Do To Prevent It? Tell your friends that just because other teens are having sex, you don't have to."

Team # 3 - Boushall Middle School – Thank You Teachers!
Of the many issues the girls discussed, the relationship between students and teachers was at the top of the list.  The girls boiled the root causes down to lack of trust and respect - on both sides. The girls decided they would write anonymous thank you notes to every teacher with specific notes about what they liked about them. For example, "We really appreciate how you always take time outside of the classroom to ask about our families and friends. This helps us know that we matter to you. You matter to us! Thanks again! GFC!"  The girls delivered each thank you note to the teacher’s mailboxes. The girls hope their project will change the community in two important ways: by helping the girls see the goodness that is all around them and by creating a chain of positivity and appreciation that extends to others.

Team # 4 - Thompson Middle School – Resources for Abuse Prevention
After settling on child abuse as their community issue, the girls of Team #4 brainstormed how to recognize symptoms of abuse in their friends and educated themselves about the types, effects and causes of child abuse. Then they discussed what they would do if they suspected someone was being abused and how to be a change agent by helping victims access resources. In addition, the team also developed a resource list of people and organizations that youth can turn to if they are being abused. They are working with the school to place this list in the cafeteria, the library and other locations in the school.

Team # 5 - Henderson Middle School – Preventing Teen Pregnancy
The girls of Team #5 wanted to tackle the lack of awareness and education amongst their peers regarding teen pregnancy. They put on a one-hour awareness program in their school. The program included presenting statistics facts about the issue to a group of their peers. They also did an activity with the audience to show how having a baby may hinder one's goals in life. School faculty supported the message in pregnancy prevention with an explanation of the menstrual cycle. Lastly, the mother of one of the girls on the team spoke about her experience as a teen mom. The girls in the audience were very engaged in the presentation and reported learning new facts about teen pregnancy. To continue the learning, the girls on the team made posters and wore awareness ribbons that day to continue the discussion with their peers.

Team # 6 - Elkhardt Middle School - Be Cool at School
The Elkhardt team is concerned with teen drug use. The root cause they identified for this issue is that students are "trying to be cool" so they use drugs. They decided to create an awareness campaign at the school for their peers.  They handed out pins at school that gave students ideas for how to be cool in other ways. They also passed out lollipops to recognize students for doing things they have deemed
“Cool at School.”

Team # 7 - Thomas Jefferson High School – Relate, Don’t Hate
Team #7 feels there are many root causes of unhealthy relationships that vary from one situation to the next, but they all agreed the key to formulating a healthy relationship is communication. They want youth to relate instead of hate. The girls held an assembly on healthy relationships at their school to express their passion of encouraging youth to have constructive relationships with each other. They believe this work will lead to more positive future for youth.

Team # 8 - John Marshall High School – Breaking the Cycle of Teen Pregnancy for More Teen Leaders
The girls of Kre8tive discussed several community issues and started to realize that teen pregnancy is a cycle learned from sisters, cousins, mothers, and grandmothers and also occurs because of lack of education and self esteem. The girls researched facts about teen pregnancy online and talked to their peers. They then developed an educational program for middle school age girls on building their self confidence, making healthy decisions and the consequences of engaging in sexual activity.

Team # 9 - Huguenot High School – Creating Awareness to Prevent Sexual Assault
The girls at Huguenot want to prevent sexual assault and also let victims of sexual assault know who to report incidents safely. The girls created posters and fliers with the assistance of school staff. The posters and fliers provide information for safety and awareness and also provide community resources for getting help. 

Community Action Teams - City of Richmond, Truancy Prevention Project
GFC staff conducted multiple workshops with young women in the City of Richmond’s Truancy Prevention Project. The program sets high expectations for school attendance and GFC was invited to support girls in being change agents in their own lives. Through three sessions of the program, girls learned about social change, discovering their own passions and ways to create change. The program was a success and led to school counselors referring more girls to the GFC program.

Fall 2009:

Team # 2 – Binford Middle School – Stop the Shame
The girls chose violence against women as their community issues. They worked on a skit to show the dangerous perils of the sex trade and how it leads to shame and violence for both men and women. The girls completed the script, but were unable to produce the play because of time constraints. They used the script to educate each other and brainstormed ways to speak up about the issue and support organizations who are tackling the problem. 

Team #4 – Thompson Middle School – More Time for Class Movement
The girls of Team #4 feel like it is difficult to get to class on time due to many factors in the school. They identified the main cause as not having enough time to get from one class to the next. The girls wrote a letter and met with the principal to speak on behalf of the student body. While the class schedule was not changed, the girls are hoping to work with school staff on ideas for getting to class on time.

Team #9 – Huguenot High School – Standing Up Against Peer Pressure
The girls believe that peer pressure leads to many of the community issues youth face today. In order to teach youth to stand up against peer pressure, they designed t-shirts to wear at school to create a human billboard. The t-shirts advertised ideas for how to combat peer pressure. When students approached the girls about their t-shirts, they started discussions about the issue furthering the education about peer pressure.