Our Mission Statement:
"Bettering the world, one step at a time through conservation, education, communication and donation.
Strengthening our community's health and wellness by empowering others to live healthier, happier lives."
Strengthening our community's health and wellness by empowering others to live healthier, happier lives."
We are a group of middle school girls developing our leadership, civic engagement, and activism skills in hopes of changing the world for the better!
2021 - 2022:
Community Problems to Be Addressed: |
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This year we wanted to branch off of our health and wellness journey and try a new angle. For health and wellness this year we opted to work with three new partners - The Jacob Hefter Foundation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Group, and the Kiwanis Club - to host a blood drive at our school one weekend in February. We helped advertise on campus, in the community, and through our various social media platforms, and at the end of the day collected close to 80 pints of life-giving blood! The goal was to help save lives by donating to our local blood banks while also encouraging adults not to text and drive.
We found that this was a problem we wanted to help rectify - our blood supply shortages in the AV, as well as the rising number of texting and driving accidents and fatalities in our community.
Other problems that we saw that we wanted to help combat were:
We found that this was a problem we wanted to help rectify - our blood supply shortages in the AV, as well as the rising number of texting and driving accidents and fatalities in our community.
Other problems that we saw that we wanted to help combat were:
- a lack of materials and supplies for unhoused people (especially those in our local women's shelters) - so we hosted a winter coat drive and crafted hygiene kits supplying women with necessary feminine hygiene items.
- We also knew that mental health issues among post-pandemic students was an issue that needed to be addressed and so we started our "Mental Health Matters" campaign.
- We also saw lots of environmental challenges as the desert is a prime target for illegal dumping of trash and waste materials, so we decided to help beautify our local parks, recycle plastics and textiles, and plant fruit trees.
- And finally, we also wanted to make sure we donated to several charities that we felt strongly about and that further our cause.
Research: |
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1. Blood Supply Shortages
https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/red-cross-national-blood-shortage-crisis.html
2. Distracted Driving
Top texting and driving statistics and facts
3. Mental Health Matters
https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide
4. Supplies for our Local Unhoused Populations
Most needed items for the homeless:
https://www.gogreendrop.com/blog/the-best-items-to-donate-to-really-help-the-homeless/
5. Environmental Clean-Up
Why is illegal dumping a serious problem for our community?
https://www.cityoflancasterca.org/our-city/about-us/sustainability/green-practices/illegal-dumping-proper-waste-disposal/illegal-dumping
- 10% overall blood donation decline since March 2020.
- 62% drop in college and high school blood drives due to the pandemic. Student donors accounted for ~25% of donors in 2019 accounted for just ~10% during the pandemic.
- Ongoing blood drive cancellations due to illness, weather-related closures and staffing limitations.
- Additional factors like a surge of COVID-19 cases and an active flu season may compound the already bad situation.
https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/red-cross-national-blood-shortage-crisis.html
2. Distracted Driving
Top texting and driving statistics and facts
- 660,000 of drivers are using their cell phones while operating a vehicle at any moment in the day. (NHTSA)
- 60% of teens 18 and older admit to emailing or texting and driving compared to 16% of 15- and 16-year-olds (CDC)
- Texting while driving has the same effect on your driving reaction time as if you had consumed four beers in a single hour. (Drivesafeonline.org)
- Texting distracts you long enough to travel the length of an entire football with your eyes off the road, driving at 55 mph. (NHTSA)
- 35% of teens admit to texting and driving, even though 94% of them understand the dangers. (AAA)
- 1 in 4 teens admit to responding to at least one text every time they drive. (AAA)
- 10% of parents and 20% of teens admit to having multi-text conversations while driving. (AAA)
- Teens who text while driving spend an average of 10% of their driving time outside of traffic lanes. (Drivesafeonline.org)
- Between 2012 and 2019, nearly 26,004 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver. During this time, distraction-related fatalities increased by 10%. (S. Department of Transportation)
- Almost 9% of all fatalities are linked to distracted driving. (U.S. DOT)
- 16- to 24-year-old drivers have been observed using handheld electronic devices while driving at higher rates than older drivers have since 2007. (U.S. DOT)
- 9% of drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in 2019 fatal crashes were reported as distracted. (U.S. DOT)
- In 2019, there were 566 nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, and others) killed in crashes involving a distracted driver. (U.S. DOT)
3. Mental Health Matters
- COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide
https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide
4. Supplies for our Local Unhoused Populations
Most needed items for the homeless:
- Toiletries
- Feminine Hygiene Products
- Laundry Detergent
- Cold Weather Clothing
- Reusable Containers
- Baby Supplies
https://www.gogreendrop.com/blog/the-best-items-to-donate-to-really-help-the-homeless/
5. Environmental Clean-Up
Why is illegal dumping a serious problem for our community?
- Decreases neighborhood property values
- Costs taxpayers millions of dollars in clean-up costs
- Is a community eyesore
- Negatively impacts plants and wildlife
- Poses safety hazards to residents, especially children
- Provides a breeding ground for disease-carrying rodents, insects and other vermin
- Disrupts natural land and water processes
- Pollutes surface and ground water
https://www.cityoflancasterca.org/our-city/about-us/sustainability/green-practices/illegal-dumping-proper-waste-disposal/illegal-dumping
2020 - 2021:
Problem to be Solved:
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RESEARCH:
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Our team of ten middle school girls conducted much research prior to selecting our health and wellness focus for the year, but truthfully - we know first-hand all the stress, pressure and anxiety related to distance learning, COVID-19, and the lockdowns. We wanted to help others like us learn coping mechanisms and find ways to help our community de-stress by eating right, exercising, journaling, meditating and participating in social activities online.
Below, please find some of the research articles we used to help set our focus for the year: |
REFLECTION:
Our general health and wellness mission has been the same for the last three years, and while some of our yearly activities repeat (ex, making stress balls or rafiki friendship bracelets) - it's always interesting to see how we can get creative and try something new each year. This year has been a challenge due to the pandemic. We were not able to meet as often as we'd like, and rarely in person. Beyond that..."zoom fatigue" is REAL!
In previous years, we focused on increasing the number of girls on our team, as well as the number of partnerships and community members served. We figured, "the bigger, the better." However, this year was different. Our numbers weren't huge this year due to the pandemic - many community events we'd normally participate in or organize ourselves were canceled. We couldn't schedule field trips or team dinners. So instead, we decided to "go small." For once, let's just focus on US for a change. Let's keep our circle small. Teach each other and learn from each other, and then let that knowledge ripple out.
As a result we had a FABULOUS (yet different) year. We helped each other survive distance learning, and had fun along the way. We learned a lot and will now pass on what we learned to our friends, family and the community at large.
Our general health and wellness mission has been the same for the last three years, and while some of our yearly activities repeat (ex, making stress balls or rafiki friendship bracelets) - it's always interesting to see how we can get creative and try something new each year. This year has been a challenge due to the pandemic. We were not able to meet as often as we'd like, and rarely in person. Beyond that..."zoom fatigue" is REAL!
In previous years, we focused on increasing the number of girls on our team, as well as the number of partnerships and community members served. We figured, "the bigger, the better." However, this year was different. Our numbers weren't huge this year due to the pandemic - many community events we'd normally participate in or organize ourselves were canceled. We couldn't schedule field trips or team dinners. So instead, we decided to "go small." For once, let's just focus on US for a change. Let's keep our circle small. Teach each other and learn from each other, and then let that knowledge ripple out.
As a result we had a FABULOUS (yet different) year. We helped each other survive distance learning, and had fun along the way. We learned a lot and will now pass on what we learned to our friends, family and the community at large.
PLP Girls Gen 2020 - 2021
~ Overview in Snapshots ~
Meet new and returning team members: Katherine, Hannah, Blythe, Gurjashan, Julianne, Madeline, Lucy, Vanessa, Daisy and more!
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Team Coordinator: Ms. Lighston
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2020 has been quite an interesting year for us all! Just think about all that we have been through in the last 12 months:
*COVID- 19 *quarantines *lockdowns *distance learning *presidential election *sensational news coverage *influx of social media usage *anxiety *depression *over-eating *sedentary lifestyle (sitting in Zoom meetings for hours!). Life sure has changed in this last year and perhaps for years to come - but one thing that never changes is our team's quest to inform our community and get them actively involved in activities that will benefit their physical, mental and emotional health today and tomorrow. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to develop lifelong tools to help keep ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally balanced - especially in times like these? Here's just a snapshot of what our team has been up to recently to keep ourselves physically active, emotionally invested, and mentally focused, as we continue to lead purposed, balanced and healthy lives! 
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Looking for data?
Please click on our "Project Plan" tab for information on this year's "Community Health & Wellness Pre-Survey" and subsequent data... |
Past Teams:
Girls Gen 2019 - 2020
2019-2020
Project Need / Community Issues to be Addressed:
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1.) Lack of healthy HYDRATION:
Causes - overexertion, indulgence of sugary and/or caffeinated drinks. Effects - dizziness, irritability, rapid breathing, increased heartbeat, fainting. We want to stress the importance of drinking lots of water and ditching the soft drinks and sugary liquids to maintain healthy hydration. 
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2.) Social- emotional WELL-BEING imbalances: kids are more stressed than ever before, disconnected from positive peer networks, more socially isolated, and have few coping skills.
We want to stress the importance of mental health and stress relief, especially in teens. 
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3.) Childhood OBESITY:
Today's youth are consuming large amounts of unhealthy "junk food" on a daily basis, and living more sedentary lives, unaware of the future health implications they will cause later on in their lives. We want to stress the importance of today's youth getting active and staying healthy and fit! 
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Our 2019-2020 team application video:
Want to see more from previous years? If so, keep scrolling...
If not, please click on the "About Us" link in the upper right-hand corner of our website
to access more information regarding our 2020 plans!
If not, please click on the "About Us" link in the upper right-hand corner of our website
to access more information regarding our 2020 plans!
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**FLASHBACK**
Take a look at Girls Gen "Shout-Outs" from year's past: |
2018 - 2019
"Project Impact"
1st Place Prize Winner!
$500 Team Award
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Our team was so honored to have participated in the Girls Build Challenge this year, to have attended the Virtual Awards Show on May 23, 2019 - and to have been awarded the first place prize for middle school Project Impact!
Girls Gen worked so hard this year, and was in such great company! We feel wonderful having won this award, and vow to continue working in our community to create positive change and lasting social impact. Stay tuned... |
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Girls Gen at our school's Literacy Faire - partnering with our local Jamba Juice to bring fruit and vegetable smoothies to the workshop. April 4, 2019.
2019 Team Presentation Slideshow:
Find out more about our team of girls, our focus area for the year, the research-based community problem we identified, and the solutions developed!
Included in our presentation are our lessons learned by the end of our year of health and wellness implementation, and the impact we believe we had on our school campus and community.
Included in our presentation are our lessons learned by the end of our year of health and wellness implementation, and the impact we believe we had on our school campus and community.
| final_girls_gen_presentation_ppt.pdf |
2019 Team Video:
Creating an Impact Through Our Events (2019)
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We decided to spread health and wellness throughout our community by participating and hosting various events throughout our city. We hope that by bringing health and wellness to the attention of our community we can start to create a more mindful city, state, and world.
Few of the Many Events We Have Hosted/ Participated in:
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Click one of the social media icons on the right to visit our social pages and see for yourself the impact we are creating in our community!
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Team Meetings
Girls Gen regularly meets on campus Wednesdays at lunch to connect with each other, have a meal and brainstorm ways to push out our goals of health and wellness school wide.
We are interested in tackling student health and wellness from multiple angles, and have come up with the following ways to make a difference on campus and in our community: - Healthy cooking class ("Snack Club") / Fitness Club (K-2nd grade) - Information and activities on stress relief and mental health - Community gardening - Classroom exercise activities (ex., sports clinics, yoga or zumba classes, meditation, etc.) - Health and wellness assemblies - Partnership with Kaiser Permanente's "Thriving Schools" - Team walkathons (MS Walk, Trisomy Awareness Walk) - Feeding the homeless - Canned food drives - Campus and community physical fitness events (ex., Friday Family Fitness nights at our local In-Shape Gym) - Diet & nutrition Informational tables at local community events (school literacy fairs and community art festivals) | ||||||||
