Girls Incorporated of Omaha

Girls Inc. of Omaha's major goals are:
1. Grow the number of girls served
2. Improve access to data and analytics
3. Improve the culture for staff and volunteers
4. Tell the Girls Inc. story, and let the girls tell the Girls Inc. story
5. Build revenue to sustain growth
6. Amplify girls’ voices; advocate for girls
7. Create equity of opportunity
8. Increase teen engagement

Using the strategic plan (attached) to reach the 2030 sustainable development goals, the Girls Inc. Experience consists of caring adults; a pro-girl, all-girl environment; sustained exposure; and hands-on, minds-on programming designed to help girls navigate and create an equitable world in which to grow up strong, smart, and bold. It is through the strategies below that we will strive to meet and exceed the 2030 sustainable development goals:

STRONG: Girls Inc. addresses both the physical and social-emotional wellness needs of girls through reproductive health education; team sports; yoga and mindfulness; fitness clubs; cooking; gardening; counseling; and access to health services at our on-site Nebraska Medicine clinic.

SMART: Girls Inc. helps girls reach their academic potential through homework help; art enrichment; literacy programming; computer lab access; STEM programs including coding, robotics, aquaponics, Eureka!, and Operation SMART; and college and career prep.

BOLD: Girls Inc. helps girls understand systemic barriers to their success and learn to overcome them. Girls learn about civic leadership and how to be their own advocates. Girls learn independent living at Protégé House; receive guidance through trusted mentors; develop employment and financial literacy skills; learn media literacy; and cultivate life skills.

At our core, we are a young development organization. We serve girls during the critical hours after school and the summer when parents need help with child care, and we can focus attention and resources on girls to help with school, health/wellness, leadership, college/career planning, and others. We recognize that girls cannot be successful academically and excel as leaders unless their basic needs are addressed first. Girls learn about health and wellness through sports, yoga & mindfulness, reproductive health education, access to medical, dental, and vision appointments, nutrition education, and more. Girls receive balanced meals at Girls Inc., and families are connected with resources for other basic needs at home.

We serve approximately 1,100 girls in north and south Omaha, and Lincoln, NE through our two centers and an additional transitional living facility, Protege House. We partner with other youth-serving agencies such as: NorthStar, Completely KIDS, Boys & Girls Clubs, and the YMCA. We often collaborate with them to share programming, resources, and staff training through Collective for Youth.

Girls Inc. partners with University of Nebraska Medical Center to provide an on-site health clinic for school and sports physicals, preventative health, vaccines, and community health care. We also partner with agencies like the Women's Center for Advancement to provide girls with healthy relationship workshops. Girls Inc. works with the College of Saint Mary through our Operation SMART program – a STEM-focused enrichment class for girls in grades Kindergarten through 6th. Girls Inc. partners with many local companies to provide intern and externships to our teens in our Success Prep program.

Girls Inc. recognizes that improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in our organization will help us reach our goals, it is a critical component of our strategic plan. In 2023, Girls Inc. is implementing a full DEI Roadmap that will operationalize diversity, equity, and inclusion at Girls Inc. Being intentional about fostering inclusive cultures will lead to heightened levels of belonging, which is directly tied to engagement levels and helping us reach our organizational goals. Additionally by helping girls find their “voice,” Girls Inc. will help promote a more equitable society in which Black and Brown girls are not ignored, dismissed, or diminished.

Girls Inc. National has created a DEI Roadmap that the Girls Inc. of Omaha board has identified as a priority in implementation for the future. We are already engaged with community leaders to provide additional trainings and advocacy workshops for girls. We anticipate quarterly trainings to fully implement the DEI roadmap. Girls Inc. of Omaha has grown into new markets by starting a Eureka! program in Lincoln, NE in 2018.

Girls Inc. is focused on improving teen engagement, providing mental health support to girls who have trauma, and supporting our girls to overcome the lingering challenges of the pandemic by helping to bridge the academic achievement gap that youth, particularly Black and Brown girls, face.