Be true to who you are, and learn about the awesome that is YOU!
Girlfriends is an after school program for all girls in grades 7 & 8 and is run by women, for young women. It is hands on and active in nature, with volunteer mentors and guest female professionals from the community providing positive leadership and serving as role models for the participants. It is our hope to help develop the self esteem of young woman, to inspire and to empower them. We want to encourage them to have choice and most importantly to be confident in the choices they make. The “GIRLFRIENDS” program will provide them with a space to be true to who they are, to learn, to laugh and to understand other points of view. Mostly we expect these young woman to walk away standing a little taller and feeling self assured. During Girlfriends, participants are given the tools needed to help improve their nutrition, physical fitness, self-esteem, and relationships. This comes in the form of healthy snacks and nutrition tips, accessible fitness activities, as well as respectful and supportive discussions. Our goal is to not only improve the girls' health in the short term, but throughout their lives.
We believe that participants' awareness and attitudes toward healthy living and environmental responsibility will evolve over the course of the program, giving them the tools needed for continued personal change.
Program Details:
Time and Location:
Girlfriends is a 12 week program, meeting once a week after school generally in the school facilities or at the Collingwood Youth Centre. At times the Gymnasium may be used, depending on activity and weather, part of each session will be held outdoors.
Our Mentors:
Our goal is to have a 1:5 mentor to student ratio. The mentors are screened by the Environment Network and have police checks done in addition to training in each topic before weekly sessions.
Cost:
There is no charge to participants; financial support is acquired from local sponsors and other funding sources.
If you would like to support this program please contact the Environment Network. programs@environmentnetwork.org
Program Founders:
Sue Underhill is a local physiotherapist and owner of Maximum Physiotherapy in Collingwood. She has been in the area for 12 years and currently resides in Creemore with her husband and their two children. An avid runner herself, Sue has motivated many people to start running by organizing running clinics for adults in town. Knowing that adolescent girls would benefit from activity, but that a running clinic for this age group would probably not take off, Sue organized a committee to start a program for adolescent girls that had an activity component, but did not solely focus on it.
Michele Rich is the executive director for The Environment Network. Michele has worked with the organization for over 15 years. Through the organization Michele has been working with youth in our community for the majority of the time. With this work she became more and more aware of the needs of young women in our community. At a chance meeting with Sue Underhill, the two women decided to combine their dreams of bringing girls together for fitness, health, and lifestyle choices. Shortly after Melissa Cornell joined to perfect the Girlfriends team. Michele is extremely excited about the Girlfriends program, “This program is the perfect venue for educating and empowering young women in the creation of a better future for all.”
Melissa Cornell is a social worker who is currently a full-time mom with her three young children. She has resided in the Collingwood area full-time since 2002 and currently lives in Duntroon with her husband and children. Melissa’s social work experience includes children’s mental health and child custody, with one of her passions being the area of health promotion. She focused her graduate studies on children and mental health and has been previously involved in various health promotion initiatives. She sees a great need for such grass-roots programs in this community and is excited to be planning and participating in the girlfriends program to help address such important topics as self-esteem and physical activity.
For more information on how to get the Girlfriends program into YOUR school, please contact Kerri MacDonald at 705-446-0551 or at info@environmentnetwork.org
We believe that participants' awareness and attitudes toward healthy living and environmental responsibility will evolve over the course of the program, giving them the tools needed for continued personal change.
Program Details:
Time and Location:
Girlfriends is a 12 week program, meeting once a week after school generally in the school facilities or at the Collingwood Youth Centre. At times the Gymnasium may be used, depending on activity and weather, part of each session will be held outdoors.
Our Mentors:
Our goal is to have a 1:5 mentor to student ratio. The mentors are screened by the Environment Network and have police checks done in addition to training in each topic before weekly sessions.
Cost:
There is no charge to participants; financial support is acquired from local sponsors and other funding sources.
If you would like to support this program please contact the Environment Network. programs@environmentnetwork.org
Program Founders:
Sue Underhill is a local physiotherapist and owner of Maximum Physiotherapy in Collingwood. She has been in the area for 12 years and currently resides in Creemore with her husband and their two children. An avid runner herself, Sue has motivated many people to start running by organizing running clinics for adults in town. Knowing that adolescent girls would benefit from activity, but that a running clinic for this age group would probably not take off, Sue organized a committee to start a program for adolescent girls that had an activity component, but did not solely focus on it.
Michele Rich is the executive director for The Environment Network. Michele has worked with the organization for over 15 years. Through the organization Michele has been working with youth in our community for the majority of the time. With this work she became more and more aware of the needs of young women in our community. At a chance meeting with Sue Underhill, the two women decided to combine their dreams of bringing girls together for fitness, health, and lifestyle choices. Shortly after Melissa Cornell joined to perfect the Girlfriends team. Michele is extremely excited about the Girlfriends program, “This program is the perfect venue for educating and empowering young women in the creation of a better future for all.”
Melissa Cornell is a social worker who is currently a full-time mom with her three young children. She has resided in the Collingwood area full-time since 2002 and currently lives in Duntroon with her husband and children. Melissa’s social work experience includes children’s mental health and child custody, with one of her passions being the area of health promotion. She focused her graduate studies on children and mental health and has been previously involved in various health promotion initiatives. She sees a great need for such grass-roots programs in this community and is excited to be planning and participating in the girlfriends program to help address such important topics as self-esteem and physical activity.
For more information on how to get the Girlfriends program into YOUR school, please contact Kerri MacDonald at 705-446-0551 or at info@environmentnetwork.org
This program is proudly supported by
