A Day in the Life of a Girl

A Day in the Life of a Girl
Living In Prince George’s County, Maryland
IN REACH, INC. | NOVEMBER 2008 “If God made anything better than a girl, he sure kept it to himself.”
Nelson Algren F
ounded in December 1999, IN REACH is a youth‐driven, community‐focused 501(c)(3) tax‐exempt, non‐profit organization positioned to respond to the unmet developmental and academic needs of children and youth living in Prince George's County, Maryland. MISSION IN REACH believes that all students should always be in reach of a quality education, opportunities in their communities for development and, ultimately, their dreams. In order for IN REACH to be successful at helping all students reach this goal, IN REACH prepares them for college, work and life. GUIDING PRINCIPLES Caring adults who value children and youth Safe places for youth to learn and live, gather and socialize A healthy start for all children with appropriate supports into young adulthood Meaningful educational experiences Opportunities for growth through service learning VISION Healthy, productive and prepared young adults in every family. PRIMARY ISSUE AREAS Health Education Youth Development Workforce Investment KEY STRATEGIES STRATEGY I—ADVOCACY: IN REACH is committed to raising awareness and engaging stakeholders in the issues that currently challenge its mission. We advocate by creating, collecting and disseminating information and data related to and uniting voices to speak on behalf of children, youth and families. STRATEGY II—PROGRAMS: IN REACH’s direct services are at the heart of everything we do. IN REACH programs engage youth in opportunities that will help prepare them for college, work and life. STRATEGY III—SPECIAL INITIATIVES: IN REACH values collaboration and looks forward to continuing to engage in and initiate special projects to advance its mission and fulfill its vision. Girls’ Action Council
(originally Girls Are Great!) The Girls’ Action Council, a county‐wide program, started as a program for middle school girls, Girls Are Great!, and served as a developmental, educational, and leadership program for girls while increasing their participation and involvement in action projects that addressed the social issues affecting them. Miss. Sydney Clark Miss. Alicia Garder Miss. Camri Harrington Miss. Jewel Hilliard Miss. Jessica Jackson Miss. Paige Johnson Miss. Monique Morgan Miss. Tania Stewart Youth Leadership Council Liaisons
The Youth Leadership Council (YLC), a school‐based program at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland was developed to prepare students for life after high school, improve youth/adult communications, and engage students in valuable community service projects. Miss. Tanaya Gable Miss. Jasmine Smith Without these young ladies this report would not have been possible. A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
It is with excitement that I present A Day In the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland. It has been a while in the making, but finally it is complete. The Girls’ Action Council in collaboration with members of the Youth Leadership Council worked diligently on this project—
discussing and planning, distributing the survey, and tallying the data. This report is a direct result of their energy, dedication and efforts. The purpose of this project was to capture the thoughts of girls on any given day. While the report shows that girls in Prince George’s County are living rather “normal” lives, it also reveals that while adults may be thinking one thing about the choices our girls are making, girls are oftentimes thinking and doing things altogether different. A Day in the Life is the beginning of a series of reports on the lives of our youth. IN REACH is committed to capturing the voices of youth through many vehicles including reports and eCommunications, as well as adult interactions—listening and sharing personal stories and experiences—and peer interactions. Included in the report are the results of an electronic survey distributed to women for their input and thoughts about the lives of girls. I would like to thank everyone who participated. Your responses are very valuable to this project and to the work that IN REACH does not only with girls, but with all of the young lives it shapes. Finally, I would like to extend a very special and heartfelt thanks to all of the young ladies who worked on bringing this project to life. Without you, this project could not have been realized. You are the life‐line and motivating force behind IN REACH’s very exis‐
tence. A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Table of Contents
THE QUESTIONS: Describe yourself in one word. What do you like most about yourself? What do you dislike most about yourself, if anything? Have you ever dieted? Do you feel insecure about yourself in any way? Who do you live with? Do you have siblings? Do you own a cell phone? Do you drive? Do you date? What do you do after school, between 3:30‐8:00 p.m.? What do you usually do on weekends? What is your favorite type of music? Who are you most likely to listen to? Who do you admire the most? Do you plan to go to college? What is your favorite subject? What’s your current GPA (Grade Point Average)? What is the hardest part of school for you? Are your grades at the best level they could be? Does your performance in school reflect your capability? APPENDIX: Survey Demographics Valuing the Voices of Girls Initiative Survey Results Resources A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page Page 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 “Learn to trust yourself, advocate for yourself.
You and only you are the keeper of your own fate.”
Toni A. Smith Executive Director #1 DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN ONE WORD.
A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Page 1 #2 WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT
YOURSELF?
#3 WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT
YOURSELF, IF ANYTHING?
Personality: 32% NOTHING: 38% ! Personality: 17% A Body Part: 14% Weight: 8% Body Part: 24% Intelligent/smart outgoing/leader: 8% A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Page 2 #4 HAVE YOU EVER DIETED?
#5 DO YOU FEEL INSECURE ABOUT
YOURSELF IN ANY WAY? IF YES,
DESCRIBE.
NO: 64% NO: 62%
YES: 35%
(klutz, wants straighter hair, appearance, passive, does not fit in, annoying) YES: 38%
SOMETIMES: 1%
A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Page 3 #6 WHO DO YOU LIVE WITH?
#7 DO YOU HAVE SIBLINGS? IF SO,
HOW MANY?
YES: 89% NO: 11% (Pictures correspond to the # of siblings.) Mom &
dad
47% mom
40% Other
Family
8% dad
3% 28% 14% 23% 7% 18% 10% Non —
family
2% A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Page 4 #8 #9 #10 DO YOU OWN A CELL
PHONE?
YES: 64%
NO: 36%
DO YOU DRIVE?
YES: 18%
NO: 82%
DO YOU DATE?
YES: 61%
NO: 39%
A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Page 5 #11 WHAT DO YOU DO AFTER SCHOOL, BETWEEN 3:30 AND 8:00 PM?
(# of girls)
Go directly home: 96 Hang out with friends: 85 Go shopping/
Mall: 60
Stay at school: 51 Play sport: 42
Play instru‐
ment: 24 Participate in a youth club:19 Go to work: 19 Volunteer: 13 Go to a recrea‐
tion center: 9 A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Page 6 #12 WHAT DO YOU USUALLY DO ON
WEEKENDS? (# of girls)
#13 WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF
MUSIC? (# of girls)
Hang out with friends: 113 Go shopping/Mall: 108 Go to the movie: 88 Visit Relatives: 65 Go to friend’s house: 70 Play sport: 34 Go to work: 17 Play instrument: 21 Participate in a youth club: 10 Go to a recreation center: 7 Volunteer: 13 R/B (Rhythm & Blues): 117 Hip Hop/Rap: 107 Go‐Go: 51 Pop: 28 Jazz: 12 Country: 14 Classical: 14 A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Page 7 #14 WHO ARE YOU MOST LIKELY
TO LISTEN TO? (# of girls)
Mom 110 Friends 62 Dad/Family Member 53 Boyfriend 45 #15 WHO DO YOU ADMIRE THE MOST?
(# of girls)
Mentor 25 A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Dad/Family Member 28 Mom 52 Friends 18 Celebrities Nobody 14 13 Page 8 #16 DO YOU PLAN TO GO TO COLLEGE?
#17 WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE
SUBJECT? (# of girls)
(# of girls)
Yes! 121 No! 3 Math 47 Undecided 3 A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland English 47 Science 18 Art 13 History 10 Page 9 #18 WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT GPA?
(# of girls)
4.0 (A) 11 3.0 (B) 107 #19 WHAT IS THE HARDEST PART OF
SCHOOL FOR YOU? (# of girls)
Subjects 55 2.0 (C) 42 Peers 18 Staying focused 10 A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Page 10 #20 ARE YOUR GRADES THE BEST
THEY COULD BE? (# of girls)
#21 DOES YOUR PERFORMANCE IN
SCHOOL REFLECT YOUR CAPABILITIES?
(# of girls)
Yes! 60 No! 112 A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland No! 87 Yes! 81 Page 11 Appendix
“Set high educational expectations for your daughters.
Expect them to complete college and beyond, whether or not you did.
Discuss careers with them, and expect them to have careers.
Teach them that educational attainment is of the highest priority.”
See Jane Win: The RIMM Report on How 1,000 Girls Became Successful Women Dr. Sylvia Rimm with Dr. Sara Rimm Kaufman and Dr. Ilonna Rimm From Chapter 1: One Thousand Successful Women Twenty Guidelines for Raising Your Daughters Guideline #1 Survey Demographics Total Participants: 174 (public and private school girls) Grade 7th grade: 1 8th grade: 42 th
9 grade: 6 th
10 grade: 33 11th grade: 74 12th grade: 18 Age: 12 years old: 1 13 years old: 37 14 years old: 14 15 years old: 31 16 years old: 61 17 years old: 26 18 years old: 0 Ethnicity: African‐American: Biracial/ethnic: Hispanic/Latina: Caribbean: Asian: Caucasian: African: 53 23 22 10 5 5 4 City: Beltsville: Bowie: Bladensburg: Brentwood: Capitol Heights: College Park: Greenbelt: Hyattsville: Landover: Lanham: Laurel: Mitchellville: Mt. Rainier: Riverdale: Takoma Park: Upper Marlboro: 2 14 1 5 1 6 20 64 2 6 1 1 15 2 2 4 A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland VALUING THE VOICES OF GIRLS INITIATIVE SURVEY RESULTS The Valuing the Voices Survey was made available to organizations that work with or on behalf of girls via IN REACH’s website. Below, and on the following two pages, are highlights of participating organizations responses. Participating organizations: Community‐based: 26.1% Faith‐based: 21.7% Private‐Sector: 21.7% Leading areas of service: Youth development: 60.9% Health: 39.1% Afterschool Programming: 30.4% Family Services: 30.4% What do you believe is the #1 issue affecting girls today? Poor self‐image: 57.9% Lack of positive role models: 36.8% Lack of family support/guidance: 36.8% Inadequate Academic Support: 15.8% Increased mental health needs: 5.3% What is the most significant factor that contributed to your success? Healthy self‐image: 47.4% Spirituality: 42.1% A supportive adult: 42.1% Problem‐solving and decision‐making skills: 26.3% Opportunities for exposure and participation in diverse activities: 26.3% Cultural pride/identity: 15.8% What would be of most (professional) value to you? Interactive workshops: 52.6% Joint activities with girls: 47.4% Networking opportunities: 36.8% Informational forums: 21.1% Training/technical assistance: 10.5% A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland What is one thing that you wish every girl were taught? (From Valuing the Voices of Girls Initiative Survey) “Respect herself.” “Value herself.” “Decision‐making skills.” “How to love yourself.” “Moral values – biblical.” “Self‐love through academic success.” “How to love and accept themselves.” “How to love and respect themselves.” “Self‐esteem.” “Their value is not wrapped up in their sexuality.” “Self confidence.” “Self‐worth – love yourself.” “What love is and how to give/receive it.” “She must develop and rely on her own inner strength.” “Overcoming outside influences and relying on inner strength and confidence is the key to success.” “Self respect.” “She has the potential for greatness.” “They are important and can make a difference in the world.” “Self worth.” “Self power and its relativity to improved humanity.” “How to be a young lady.” A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland Briefly describe how you would bridge the gap between women and adolescent girls? (From Valuing the Voices of Girls Initiative Survey) “Develop more guided discussions that are designed to build relationship between mother and daughter or girls and women who have positive self‐images.” 
“By assuring (REAL) communication channels are always available. Remembering how I ‘sometimes’ felt when I was too big to be A LITTLE Girl, not big enough to be GROWN, and not wanting to be THOUGHT TO KNOW EVERYTHING. . .when I just wanted to be.”  “I think it’s important that women and adolescent girls love and respect themselves. If you don’t love who you are as a person, it’s difficult to establish and maintain positive relationships (personal or professional) with others.”  “This is a difficult question. I think it would be key to have constant dialogue between women and adoles‐
cent girls. Women should not forget the difficulties of being a girl in this society, and adolescent girls should have exposure to women who can share with them different views of the world.”  “Interact with them.”  “I believe that one way the bridge could be accomplished is to ask women and girls to play together. There are great memories of childhood activities that are stored away by many women. But when the conversa‐
tion . . . asks one to recall those fond memories, smiles are gently the leading comment.” A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland RESOURCES
ORGANIZATIONS BOOKS GirlSource: A book by and for young women about relationships, rights, fu‐
tures, bodies, minds, and souls, A GirlSource Production Girl, Women + Media Project, www.mediaandwomen.org World Arts Focus, www.worldartsfocus.org A Girls Guide to Getting Respect & Dealing When Your Line Is Crossed by Courtney Macavinta & Andrea Vander Pluym EDUCATION & EMPOWERMENT Association for Gender, Equity Leadership in Education, www.agele.org Social Aggression Among Girls by Marion K. Underwood National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, www.ncwge.org Virtuous Enterprises, Inc., www.veinc.org Girlwise: How to Be Confident, Capable, Cool and in Control by Julia DeVillers Washington Area Women’s Foundation, www.wawf.org Women Working Together, www.womenworkingtogether.com The Real Deal: A Spiritual Guide for Black Teen Girls by Billie Montgomery HEALTH Cook Healthy Teen Network, www.healthyteennetwork.org National Association for Girls and Women In Sport, www.aahperd.org/nagws/ What We Can’t Tell You: Teenagers Talk to the Adults in their Lives by Kath‐
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, www.teenpregnancy.org leen Cushman and the youth of What Kids Can Do Office on Women’s Health, US Dept. of Health & Human Services, www.4woman.gov/owh and www.girlshealth.gov Straight Talk for Teenage Girls by Annette Fuson LEADERSHIP Gutsy Girls: Young Women Who Dare by Tina Schwager and Michele Schuerger American Association of University Women, www.aauw.org The White House Project, www.thewhitehouseproject.org But I Love Him: Protecting Your Teen Daughter from Controlling, Abusive Dat‐
ing Relationships by Dr. Jill Murray MEDIA Mind on the Media, www.mindonthemedia.org When the Breast Fairy Comes: Understanding and Communicating with Your New Moon Magazine, www.newmoon.org Daughter during Adolescence by Stacey L. Roberts Youth Today, www.youthtoday.org Girlology™: A Girl’s Guide to Stuff That Matters by Melissa Holmes, M.D. and YOUTH DEVELOPMENT Patricia Hutchinson, M.D. Girls, Inc., www.girlsinc.org Forum for Youth Investment, www.forumforyouthinvestment.org Girlfighting: Betrayal and Rejection among Girls by Lyn Mikel Brown Smartgirl.org Young Women of Distinction, www.youngwomenofdistinction.org The Beauty Myth: A Guide for Real Girls by Stefanie Iris Weiss ARTS A Day in the Life of a Girl Living in Prince George’s County, Maryland IN REACH, INC.
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE, WORK & LIFE 3102 63rd Place  Cheverly, MD 20785 301.789.7250  www.inreachinc.org [email protected]