You Grow Girl: Recognizing the Impactful Support of the Canada Post Community Foundation
Introduction:
As a charity dedicated to youth development and sports programs for low-income youth, Beat the Streets is proud to offer You Grow Girl, a fun and unique resiliency-building and combat sports program for girls aged 13-18 across the Greater Toronto Area. Led by professional coaches and athletes, You Grow Girl combines combat-based fitness classes with experiential learning activities to help girls develop the tools and growth mindset they need to successfully navigate adolescence, transition to adulthood, and realize their full potential.
Combining Fitness and Experiential Learning:
We believe in the power of physical fitness and experiential learning. Over 8 hours, girls engage in boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling classes, improving their physical literacy while building the foundations of an active lifestyle. In addition, mental health activities enhance resiliency and promote social-emotional well-being. Through this unique combination, girls gain valuable life skills to navigate adolescence constructively.
“There is much evidence to support physically literate girls do twice as much activity than those who are not. They are happier and more trusting of other children, and higher levels of resilience is evident in children who demonstrate competency in these aspects of physical literacy.”
Recognizing the Support of the Canada Post Community Foundation:
We are grateful for the generous support of the Canada Post Community Foundation, an organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children and youth.
Their donation enabled us to deliver four You Grow Girl programs, empowering 103 girls from Richview Collegiate Institute & Humber Collegiate Institute. With their support, these girls have improved their physical abilities, developed essential life skills, and increased resilience through social-emotional activities focusing on mental health topics such as goal setting, self-esteem and stress management.
“Since 2012, the Community Foundation has granted over $12.3 million to 1,100 projects across Canada.”
Impressive Testimonials and Participant Feedback:
You Grow Girl participants at West Humber Collegiate Institute
The impact of You Grow Girl is best reflected in the testimonials and feedback we receive from our participants. One participant expressed, "I felt engaged in a happy environment where we're encouraged to participate." Another participant mentioned, "This program helped me be confident that I can stand up for myself in public." The positive response is overwhelming, with participants loving the brain teasers, games, interactive practice sessions, and the opportunity to engage in social-emotional discussions as a group. The program has provided a platform for learning, self-expression, and personal growth.
“I truly loved everything about this program, the teasers, the games, the actual practice, warm-ups, and so much more! you are amazing!”
The Importance of Youth Development Programs like You Grow Girl:
“Girls who lack resilience often have low self-esteem, are emotionally vulnerable and easily influenced by others, accept mistreatment, and find it difficult to cope with problems or to see that solutions are within their grasp.”
Youth development programs are essential for fostering healthy, confident, and resilient girls. We aim to address the early dropout rates and barriers experienced by girls in sports. In addition, social-emotional activities and mental health support contribute to their academic achievement. These comprehensive benefits are crucial for advancing education and empowering girls to lead active, fulfilling lives.
The Rally Report:
Canadian Women & Sport, in collaboration with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, recently published The Rally Report, a comprehensive national study examining sport participation among Canadian girls aged 6-18. Conducted in partnership with IMI International and completed in February 2020, this research aims to provide valuable insights and promote awareness to foster positive change and encourage the continued participation of girls in sports across Canada.
Key findings from the Rally Report:
“Canadian Girls Are Dropping Out of Sport
Up to 62% of Canadian adolescent girls are not participating in any kind of sport
One in three girls who have participated in sport drop out by late adolescence
Girls are more than three times as likely to drop out of sport in adolescence compared to boys, as the dropout rate among adolescent boys is 1 in 10
Only 18% of women aged 16-63 years stay involved in sport
Barriers to Sport Participation Among Girls
43% of adolescent girls said the quality of the sport experience was a barrier
1 in 3 girls report the following factors as preventing them from participating in sport: low confidence, negative body image, perceived lack of skill, poor perceptions of belonging and not feeling welcomed.”
Source: https://womenandsport.ca/canadian-girls-dropping-out-of-sport/
You can download the full report here: https://womenandsport.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Canadian-Women-Sport_The-Rally-Report.pdf
About Beat the Streets:
At Beat the Streets, our mission is to advance the education of low-income children and youth in the Greater Toronto Area through fun and unique sports, life skills, and employment-based development programs. Since 2015, we have served over 28,000 young individuals through our Wrestle 4 Fun, Level Up, You Grow Girl, Work It (Summer Jobs), and Volunteer programs, providing them opportunities to develop their physical, mental, and social well-being. We believe in empowering the next generation by breaking down barriers and creating pathways to success.
Join us in our mission to impact youth:
Join us in making a difference by supporting our cause and learning more about how you can contribute to the education and growth of children and youth in need. Together, we can shape a brighter future for all.
