With the addition of this new curriculum, the Girls on the Run after-school program continues to empower today’s girls and help them build the life skills and confidence they need to thrive.
In spring 2024, we launched a refreshed version of the Girls on the Run curriculum for 3rd- to 5th-grade girls called Hello, Superstar! It was the first in a suite of three updated curricula. We wrote all about it!
- 7 Reasons Why We’re Excited About Hello, Superstar!
- 3 Awesome New Additions and Enhancements in Hello, Superstar!
- Learn How Hello, Superstar! Lessons Last a Lifetime
As you may remember, each new curriculum reinforces core GOTR tools and skills and follows a fun, empowering theme that builds different forms of confidence. (Season after season, surveys and studies have shown that our program does just that! In our most recent end-of-season survey, 95% of participants said they were more confident because they participated in Girls on the Run.)
In Hello, Superstar!, the star-powered lessons help girls develop the confidence to be themselves, love themselves, and encourage others to do the same. During the season, participants learned to embrace and celebrate what makes them who they are.
Now, the next theme is returning us to earth with the rollout of a second new curriculum: Hello, Mountain Mover! The thematic lessons in this version help girls build the confidence to do hard things and empower others around them to do so as well. Let’s dig in and share five reasons we are excited to reach new heights with this new set of lessons:
The Can-Do Theme
In Hello, Mountain Mover!, girls learn to activate their I Can! Power – the confidence to believe in themselves and their ability to do hard things. We also help participants recognize that we all have different kinds of “hard” – maybe completing a 5K, raising a hand in class, or making a brand-new friend. Girls learn that every team member’s mountain is not the same.
Gaining Even More Tools and Strategies
This curriculum continues to provide girls with valuable tools to navigate the ups and downs of growing up. One of our favorite, most resilience-inspiring lessons focuses on Stick-With-It Strategies. Moving mountains takes courage and persistence, so girls learn strategies to stay on track, like starting with the first step, celebrating small wins, and asking for help. These tools keep teams moving forward and moving mountains.
Embracing Mistakes
Sometimes, the metaphorical trail ahead is steep, and the path forward is unclear. Anyone can stumble or lose their way. Through Hello, Mountain Mover!, our goal is to change mindsets about making mistakes when trying hard things so participants see mistakes as a necessary part of taking on challenges, learning, and growing. In fact, team members learn how to celebrate their mistakes during this learning process by creating a mistake cheer they use throughout the season. A true celebration! Girls on the Run creates an environment where kids feel comfortable trying and failing and begin to recognize failure as part of what it takes to move a mountain.
Moving with Emotions
When kids try something hard, they often face emotions and don’t know how to process them. (This happens to people of all ages.) Hello, Mountain Mover! shows participants how to move with their emotions – to feel them, let them go, or find a way for them to stay that feels, well, manageable. Our program helps them develop this essential life skill. At the end of our most recent season, 92% of participants said they learned things at Girls on the Run to help them deal with strong emotions.
Using the Tools
During the first half of the season, everyone fills their ever-expanding GOTR Toolboxes with different tools to activate their I Can! Power. In the second half of the season, participants practice using their new tools to move mountains – to take on challenges and stick with doing hard things like Sticking up for Others, Choosing Friends, and working together to make a difference in their community. The curriculum empowers them to try new things and keep going — even and especially when it is hard.
Katarina Corda, MEd, MiT, senior director of program development, who led the creation of the curriculum, said, “We’ve moved some mountains in the launch of this curriculum. We made sure to retain our core GOTR tools and added fun, engaging activities to strengthen the I Can! Power inside every participant. We can’t wait to empower girls to move mountains and activate their limitless potential.”
Just like in past versions, these two new themed curricula still culminate with a Community Impact Project and end-of-season 5K Celebration. So, whether your girl is gathering Star Power as she explores the galaxy of her community with Hello, Superstar! or blazing trails and scaling peaks with her I Can! Power in Hello, Mountain Mover!, she is sure to build confidence for life.
