Inspiring all girls
to be strong, smart, and bold
MAY 2020
WITH YOU IN HER CORNER...SHE WILL SUCCEED
Girls Inc. Week 2020
She Leads: Inspired and Engaged in Civic Life
It’s not enough to elevate girls’ voices. We must also strengthen their capacity to lead.

Girls Inc. Week 2020 focuses on civic engagement. Girls aren’t too young to be affected by the decisions of policymakers, and they aren’t too young to have a meaningful impact on our civic processes, even in the current situation we find ourselves. In fact, it is more crucial than ever that girls are heard in their communities. When girls are connected and engaged in civic life, our whole system benefits. We must take seriously the power of girls to be change agents, not just “one day,” but today. 

Building a more equitable society means expanding civic participation... Read More
Fuel Her Fire Blog: Girls Inc. Week 2020
Marisol Torres, Facilitator, Santa Barbara Center
Working at Girls Inc. for the past six years has taught me a lot about being a female leader and how much of a difference it makes in a young girl’s life. It has also taught me more about being a leader as a woman of color. Being Latina I’ve learned that being bilingual is a useful tool for my leadership…Girls Inc. has helped me realize that. Read More
STRONG, SMART, BOLD IN (VIRTUAL) ACTION
Serving Our Girls and Families
During this time of uncertainty, we are connecting with youth and their families, finding strength in building a resilient Girls Inc. community. Here are a few ways we are continuing to serve girls and teens:

  • Our bi-lingual program staff are in regular contact with our families, connecting them with community resources and assistance during this time. The physical safety and mental health and well-being of our girls are our key priorities.

  • The program team is creating weekly virtual Strong, Smart, and Bold content to keep girls socially and emotionally engaged and academically challenged. This content is also available on-demand for families on our YouTube channel.

  • Youth are connecting with their Girls Inc. friends and mentors during weekly, grade-specific calls facilitated via Zoom (see photos above!)


  • Teens can access academic support through "drop-in" tutoring sessions with our facilitators via Zoom.
How You Can Help
Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara is asking for your help today to move forward to be ready to serve girls and teens in-person as soon as it is safe to open our doors. Your support will allow us to prepare to be able to provide financial assistance to an increasing number of families in need, maintain our operations, and adapt our programming to comply with new safety measures. T hank you for your support!
Making Essential Supply Kits for Our Teens
A special thank you to the United Way and its School Supply Drive for providing notebooks, pencils, pens, construction paper, and colored pencils for youth during COVID-19.

These school supplies were added to Girls Inc.'s own at-home kits, which include additional art supplies so teens can work together on creative projects as a virtual community.

Kits were distributed to our teens and their families curbside at our Goleta Valley Center during Girls Inc. Week.
Coaches Amy and Natalia Create Healthy "Obstacles"
Gymnastics Coaches Amy and Natalia show how you can make a simple obstacle course at home to get your heart rate up and keep your body moving. So, grab a family member and stay healthy, manage stress and have fun!

Social and Emotional Learning Matters Now More Than Ever
S tephanie J. Hull, Girls Inc. National President and CEO
The situation we are facing makes it abundantly clear that we need to make it a priority to support the social and emotional wellbeing of all young people - both now and when they eventually return to school. Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been core to Girls Inc. programming for as long as we’ve been around ... Read More
Serving the Santa Barbara Community
To assist with our community’s greater relief efforts, we are lending our resources to other nonprofits to aid in their delivery of essential services during COVID-19.
Showers of Blessing

Showers of Blessing is using our Santa Barbara Center parking lot to provide free showers to homeless members of our community every Wednesday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.  
Foodbank Delivery

Our Girls Inc. vans are helping the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County expand delivery capacity to home-bound seniors in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.  
CELEBRATE & ADVOCATE
100 Years Since the 19th Amendment Was Ratified...
...but it wasn’t until the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that people of color were fully allowed to exercise their right to vote.
"Lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go, struggling and striving, and hoping that the buds and blossoms of our desires will burst into glorious fruition ere long. With courage, born of success achieved in the past, with a keen sense of the responsibility which we shall continue to assume, we look forward to a future large with promise and hope.”
- Mary Church Terrell,
Suffragette and Civil Rights Advocate
#EveryGirlCounts: Complete the 2020 Census
Have you completed the 2020 Census? Rosa Ruiz from our program team shares an important message for girls and their families about the importance of being counted. Future resources and representation depend on it!