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Girls
Rights! Action! Power!
Girls RAP is a year-long after-school program offered to girls at four
Seattle public middle schools.
Girls meet after school: In each school, diverse groups
of girls meet weekly and work with an instructor to discuss topics that
touch their lives. Time in the program supports girls to build critical
thinking skills, gain respect, practice self-expression and engage with
their school communities.
Girls work with adult mentors: During the program, girls
meet one-on-one with an adult mentor, or Fairy RAP Mother. Through
structured reflection on group activities and the opportunity for a more
personal connection, girls work with their adult mentors to develop a
deeper understanding of what they have learned in the after school program.
Girls and their mentors discuss, strategize, and evaluate ways girls can
transfer what they learn to the bigger canvas of their lives.
Girls attend our summer program: Girls RAP also offers
two weeks of intensive learning for girls from all four schools.
Girls RAP in Seattle Schools
Today we work with girls who attend Denny, Hamilton, and Washington middle
schools. Counselors and teachers nominate girls to join, and participants
can also sign up through the Out of School Time (OST) Program. Group make-up
is diverse, reflecting the myriad experiences, backgrounds, and ages of
the girls at these schools and usually consists of 12-14 girls.
Each group creates a wall-size photo-mural-designed by the girls-depicting
what matters most in their lives and what it's like to be a girl today
from their perspectives. Other projects developed by the girls include:
- An investigation into race relations in their school environment.
- A cookbook to honor the cultural backgrounds of girls in the group, including recipes for food and
"respect" in the culture.
- A critical look at teen fashions as they relate to body size.
- A survey developed by the girls exploring the issue of why kids pick on each other.
Karly's Story
Karly, 13, joined Girls RAP when her school counselor told her about
the chance to create a mural showing what it's like to be a girl today.
The idea of taking pictures to tell about her life was inspirational,
a new experience. She was also eager to meet new girls. It was rare
to spend time outside of the group she belonged to. Most kids stuck "with
their own kind" at her school.
Her first day at Girls RAP made Karly feel special. Something felt
different. Joanna, Sandra, and Rebecca-the adult leaders, who even
used their first names with the girls– asked girls to think about what
respect means among girls. They talked about how each girl in the group
would get a Fairy Rap Mother– one of them– to connect with outside
the group.
Through her involvement with Girls RAP, Karly experienced many firsts.
Now she actively works to make the girl culture at her school healthy
and inclusive. She's more comfortable raising her hand in class to
share her ideas. She blossoms with the personalized attention she gets
from her Fairy Rap Mother. Her inner potential– the stuff she's made
of– gets revealed in ways that are extraordinary for an adolescent
girl.
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