GIRLS IN THE GAME
Chicago, IL
Impact Story
Girls participation in sports continues to lag behind that of boys. In the US alone, high school boys outnumber high school girls in athletics by more than 1.1 million participants.
Sports offer immense benefits, especially to teen girls who often lack confidence. Girls in the Game is addressing this gap by using sport as a tool to teach social and emotional development to its participants.
In Chicago, IL, Baltimore, MD, and Bloomington, IL, Girls in the Game is helping girls “find their voice, discover their strength, and build confidence through fun and active sports, health and leadership programs.”
In 2016, Girls in the Game set forth with a new strategic plan that aimed to expand – across cities and deeper into existing cities. By 2022, Girls in the Game served over a thousand participants through their multiple program offerings including After School, Game Days, Summer Camp, Teen Squad, and Teen Club.
When a manager at the organization came across Good Game Foundation’s Training Camp, they filled out an inquiry form on a whim. To their surprise, they were contacted as a potential candidate to participate in the program. Coming into Training Camp, Girls in the Game had no expectations and wanted to remain open minded to the process. At the beginning of the program, each organization was asked to name a current challenge or area of opportunity to devote their Training Camp sessions toward addressing. Girls in the Game felt their biggest opportunity was to develop deeper relationships with the parents of their participants and the wider communities in which they worked.
Over the course of the three-month Training Camp, Girls in the Game shared with the other two participating organizations about their work and their opportunity for growth. Through a series of open dialogue discussions, ideas began to pour out from the other organizations, the Training Camp facilitator, and Girls in the Game about how to address their desire for deeper community relationships.
A couple ideas were immediately implementable, such as a “guardian hub” on the website and a parent/guardian survey. They were able to trial both concepts while still in Training Camp which allowed them to receive timely feedback and bring it to the next Training Camp session for further digestion.
Girls in the Game was recognized by the Chicago White Sox during their Charities Grant Celebration event.
“The conversation was thoughtfully guided, very in-depth, and purposeful. It made the Training Camp sessions very productive,” Jess Larson, Senior Manager at Girls in the Game shared. “Collaboration is key! Between ourselves and the other organizations,” Sam De Loera, Grants Coordinator, added.
The organization has spent the last year or two recovering from the impacts of COVID-19 and just recently has felt they can “look up and look forward again,” as Larson put it. Training Camp came at the perfect time and has reignited the passion for serving the needs of girls in the community.
“There’s a change in energy, more excitement for what’s to come,” De Loera said. And that change is happening fast. Girls in the Game finished Training Camp with the goal of becoming a greater part of the girls’ communities with a name that is recognized and trusted. They want parents to seek out their programs for their daughters, and they see a need in the community for girls’ needs to be prioritized in city conversations.
Girls in the Game’s annual Summer Squad program allows teens to take the lead over their summer break.