Girls Inc. of Alameda County

Generations are transformed when girls are equipped with knowledge, information and confidence. At Girls Inc. of Alameda County, when a girl is engaged with us as young as possible, she develops the essential skills and tools she needs for college, career and life success. Tailored to meet the unique needs of girls (ages 5-18) of Alameda County, girls experience a continuum of asset-based programs designed to support the whole girl, including: literacy development, science, technology, engineering & math, sports & fitness, leadership, advocacy, and healthy relationship development with peers and adults. Having opened new headquarters in downtown Oakland on July 29, 2013, the Bay Area’s first and only resource center for girls, we are now well-positioned to focus the next 3-5 years on providing more and expanded programs and services to girls and families in communities most at need so these girls have the opportunity to make positive change in their own lives, families, and the world. We believe that our girls grow up strong, smart and bold and are equipped to navigate gender, economic and social barriers so they grow into healthy, educated and independent adults.

Girls Inc. utilizes the following strategies to accomplish our goals:
1)Maintaining a pro-girl and girls-only environment that is physically, socially and emotionally safe and confirms that girls can succeed and deserve to be taken seriously for the persons they are now and the women they will become;
2) Utilizing trusting, mentoring relationships with adult staff and volunteers trained in an approach that is grounded in a belief in girls’ rights and abilities;
3) Using holistic, compensatory, and intentional programming focused on girls’ needs and that provides exposure to a wide variety of experiences and options that girls might not have experienced otherwise;
4) Employing relevant, field-tested, and research-based curricula that confront the serious needs of girls while building the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to enable girls to be competent, confident individuals and adult women;
5) Utilizing girl-centered, motivating, deliberate, and interactive activities that develop and promote girls’ strengths; and
6) Ensuring sustained exposure to programming and connection with a girl over time to increase positive outcomes and reduce the potential for negative outcomes.

Serving over 7,000 girls and families annually, as the largest Girls Inc. affiliate in the country, Girls Inc. of Alameda County has built a strong record of programmatic excellence and fiscal responsibility over the past 55 years. In addition to serving as an incubator for innovative girls programming, other strengths include a sound infrastructure, extremely active and diverse Board of Directors, and critical long-term strategic planning that continuously identifies ongoing needs that translate into program design. In the midst of a global economic downturn, when non profits have closed their doors, Girls Inc. developed a healthy and increasingly diversified funding base that continues to fund core essential programs. Holding true to the agency’s mission, the depth and quality of programming has continued to prioritize its intentional and compensatory focus to impact the highest need girls in Alameda County and maximize the number served. Carefully engaged in strong and successful succession planning there has only been one executive transition in over 35 years. Partnering for decades with some of the poorest performing schools in the state, programs are evidence-based, data-driven, and relevant to the local community. Programs are designed to ensure girls graduate and enroll in college and high school graduation rates for Girls Inc. girls far exceed the local and state averages. The location of our new headquarters in downtown Oakland will allow us to expand our geographical reach, provide greater accessibility --- including by way of transportation --- for girls, youth, families and partner organizations to Girls Inc. resources and expertise in girls and mental health, and increase the number of girls and families served.

In spring 2013 we exceeded our Capital Campaign goal of $10.85 million and completed construction of the new Oakland headquarters; doors opened on July 29, 2013. New funding for Oakland-based programs was secured for program years 2013-16 via the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth and all youth programming and mental health services began for the fiscal year 2013-14. Individual program evaluations are ongoing.

To date we have exceeded our interim target of increasing the number of girls and families served by 10% by 2013. However, Girls Inc. has not been immune to the global economic downturn. Due to the national trend in the decrease of available funding over the last few years, for both government and foundation funders, we have not yet been able to expand services beyond existing capacity. We believe the location of our new headquarters will allow more girls and families to access programs and services and will continue to assess that progress over the course of the year.