About the Girls’ Growth Fund |
Research shows that girls and boys start out their lives on fairly even footing; if anything girls do better socially, academically, and emotionally in the early years. And yet...
- By age 11 girls consistently report lower levels of self-esteem, happiness, and satisfaction with their lives.1
- Almost half of Canadian girls are dieting by grade six and this increases steadily to 58% by grade 10.2
- Research suggests a strong link between low self-esteem, unhappiness or depression and participation in activities that can put young people, and especially young girls, at risk. This includes involvement in alcohol and drug use and abuse, smoking and early sexual activity.3
Bombarded by media images of impossibly thin, airbrushed, and sexualized young women, girls today are constantly given the message that they don’t measure up. There are certainly more opportunities available to girls today, but the pressures and negative reinforcement they face can stifle enthusiasm, esteem, and judgment; often with negative consequences.
Since 1991 The Canadian Women’s Foundation has been investing in programs that transform the lives of women and girls who face the greatest barriers. The programs we fund are rigorously researched, meticulously implemented, and carefully monitored.
Our research on girls has shown that the best social return on investment is working with girls aged nine to 13: a critical point in their development that will shape the choices they make and the women they become.
We found that the best way to develop strong, resilient girls is to allow them to explore, create, experiment, grow, achieve, and use their voices in a safe, positive and encouraging environment. We also concluded that girls need programming that empowers them to think critically; to help them interpret, decipher, resist and ultimately to change the messages that are all around them.
As a result, CWF launched a pilot phase of the Girls’ Growth Fund (called the Girls’ Fund) which supported the most innovative programs across Canada that build self-esteem, critical thinking and leadership skills in girls by engaging them in subjects like science and math, sports and physical activity, and financial and media literacy. Click here to read about the programs we have funded.
As we enter 2009, our plans for the Girls’ Growth Fund are bold and ambitious – and to take our work to the next level we are offering an Immediate Public Opportunity: CWF will make a three-year investment in 15 of Canada’s best programs for disadvantaged girls (aged nine to 13).
Your investment will provide the financial capital to empower girls to move through adolescence with confidence, see themselves as leaders, think critically about the world around them, and have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
The Girls’ Growth Fund programs will go through a rigorous selection process led by a national panel of experts and community leaders, and will be chosen based on their prospect for strong, sustainable outcomes for girls and the best possible return on your investment.
Invest in the future of girls today!
