Mission

Girls on the Run Greater Connecticut inspires girls in the 3rd – 8th grades to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum integrating social-emotional learning, life skills, and physical activity to enhance girls’ social, psychological and wellbeing. We provide after-school positive youth development programs for girls – in the 3rd through 8th grade – in Hartford, New Haven, Fairfield, Litchfield and Tolland county. Our intentional curriculum teaches important life skills and behaviors such as how to manage emotions, help others, make healthy decisions, and resolve conflicts. Girls on the Run places an emphasis on the development of competence, confidence, connection, character, caring, and contribution in young girls, while creatively integrating running and movement. Social-emotional learning has been shown to provide short and long-term benefits to children such as positive social behavior, less emotional stress, fewer behavioral problems, and academic success. Trained, caring, and qualified volunteer coaches deliver the program curriculum by guiding small teams of girls over 10 weeks through twice-a-week lessons that promote social emotional learning concurrently with physical activity. The program culminates with girls positively impacting their communities through a service project and completing a celebratory, non-competitive 5K (3.1 mile) race.