GirlVentures
Adventure Discovery Action
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Research indicates girls' self-esteem peaks at the age of 9, while boys' self esteem remains the same throughout childhood. Programs specifically for girls are essential to creating an emotionally safe space to combat the erosion of confidence that occurs in their teen years. Leading girls-only small group programs that discuss sensitive topics and gender- related issues are especially important for participants to feel secure and not judged, and to help them express their authentic thoughts and feelings.
Focusing on adolescent girls is especially important considering they are more likely than boys to experience depression, negative body image issues, and timidity. Girls also often face barriers to outdoor activities: a lack of access to safe environments, transportation, and the economic means to participate in fee-¬based programs. Outdoor Foundation's 2014 Special Report on Youth found that males participate in outdoor recreation at a higher rate than females.
This organization has not yet reported any program information.
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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of hours of coaching
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of participants engaged in programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of mentors recruited
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of participants reporting change in behavior or cessation of activity
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
For more than twenty years, GirlVentures has provided an innovative combination of outdoor activities and social emotional curriculum that helps girls experience and appreciate nature, while supporting their mental and physical health at a formative time in their lives. Our programs continue to give girls the skills they need to face the challenges posed during adolescence, which are crucial for academic, social and career success.
We aim to empower girls to become healthy, confident leaders in our community, who understand the importance of allyship and environmental conservation. Our long-term goal is to inspire girls to lead, by empowering our participants to:
1) Lead with confidence and empathy. At a crucial stage in their development, girls develop individual and group leadership competencies and build social-emotional skills. To enable graduates to grow professionally we hire them as Assistant Instructors and Apprentices who are trained to provide underserved youth with experiences in nature.
2) Develop lifelong healthy habits. Challenging outdoor activities provide the format and structure through which girls develop physical, mental, emotional, and social tools that help them navigate real-world challenges and sustain healthy practices in the long term.
3) Find their place in nature. We provide a welcoming space for girls from diverse communities to feel comfortable in nature and inspire participants to critically assess their environmental impact and better understand environmental conservation principles, enabling them to become dedicated conservationists.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our immersive expeditions and school-year programs provide opportunities for both personal and athletic growth as girls form bonds with mentors and each other while backpacking, camping, kayaking, and rock climbing. Developing these skills enables them to break down barriers to what they believed they could accomplish, as they gain access to nontraditional, historically male-dominated activities. They then learn how to apply these character-building experiences to their broader lives.
GirlVentures' programs follow a Leadership Progression Model for girls entering 6th grade, all the way up to 12th grade. Each of our courses builds on the strengths girls find within themselves, as well as the skills they have learned in other GirlVentures courses. Through this Model, we annually deliver 12,000 program hours ranging from 30 to more than 300 hours per participant.
Organically incorporated into each course are developmentally appropriate social-emotional activities exploring self, environment, identity, culture, social justice, and healthy living. Our highly trained Instructors create supportive atmospheres for girls with different needs and learning styles, while participants set group and personal expectations, create community agreements, and learn conflict resolution techniques. The experiences that these girls share enable them to feel supported and find strength from one another, within themselves, and nature.
We continue to be innovative in our field by making the outdoors accessible and providing food, gear, and transportation free of charge, as well as need-based financial aid, to geographically and culturally diverse girls. Additionally, our courses are offered at a significant discount to all participants.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Based on our long history of success, we are well-positioned to meet our goals.
To ensure long-term sustainability, we have an active Board of Directors that provides insight and governance. In May 2017, Emily Teitsworth joined the team as our Executive Director. Prior to GirlVentures, Emily co-founded and scaled Rise Up, an Oakland-based organization that has become a globally recognized model for girl-centered advocacy. Emily also volunteers as the Director of Project Aruna, a grassroots initiative that facilitates collaboration between young leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area and Guatemala.
All program staff and instructors are overseen by GirlVentures' Program Director, Cori Coccia, who has been a wilderness guide and educator since 1999. She earned her MS in Environmental Education in 2004 by embarking on a two-year expedition living outdoors, as well as in towns around the country and abroad in intentional learning communities. She has worked for GirlVentures in a variety of roles since 2003 and holds accreditations with the American Mountain Guide Association, American Canoe Association, Leave No Trace, and she is a Wilderness First Responder.
Our field staff are highly-trained outdoor adventure and youth educators with expertise in the unique needs of diverse adolescent girls, and they reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of our population: all instructors are female, and 50% of course staff are women of color.
Instructors have an average of seven years of outdoor education experience, and are required to have Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder certification. A significant portion of instructor training is dedicated to GirlVentures' distinct diversity and social justice curriculum.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As the only local nonprofit of its kind, GirlVentures has successfully grown and served the Bay Area for over two decades, inspiring girls to be environmental stewards, advocates for themselves and others, and effective leaders.
In 2018, we expanded our programs, introducing a new Girls Climb On program serving the Richmond and El Cerrito area, and piloting a spring affinity course for girls of color in Pinnacles National Park.
GirlVentures also completed a strategic planning and rebranding process in early 2018, launching an updated mission, theory of change, and logo, and setting benchmarks for programmatic expansion through 2020.
We are currently looking out how to sustainably scale our model to reach more girls in Northern California and beyond, and expanding our programs to include Spring Break trips and more opportunities for girls to get outside during the school year. There are other great organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area serving youth and facilitating outdoor education opportunities, and we'll also be exploring how to more effectively partner with them to amplify our collective impact and build a future where all girls can be confident leaders and effective advocates for the environment.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
GirlVentures
Board of directorsas of 11/22/2022
Priyanka Dhanda
Prologis
Kathy Anderson
Charles Schwab & Co., Retired
Gillian Clegg
PG&E
Alison Hill
Prologis
Dana Kern
Michelle Sioson Hyman
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Christine Weiss
Highmark Capital Management
Laura Mallers
Deloitte
Annie Claybaugh
Beneficial State Bank
Greg Ruppert
Charles Schwab
Mandy Mooney
Lithium Technologies
Rachel Miller- Garcia
SolomonEdwards
Wendy Lin
AbbVie
Alice Shen
Bay Grove
Keely Anson
INCITE
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
No data
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
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Transgender Identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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