We all need feedback to learn and grow, and Girls Inc. believes that data-driven feedback is critical to having a real and lasting impact on girls. Since 2008, and with generous support from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the Lilly Endowment, and the Cummins Foundation and with strategic input from Child Trends, The Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, and the American Institutes for Research, Girls Inc. has been developing and refining a national measurement strategy so that we may continually learn and grow as a network.
We have put our proverbial money where our mouth is, and operationalized the Girls Inc. mission statement, To inspire all girls to be Strong, Smart, and Bold, taking those three holistic components of a girl’s development and associating indicators of success to them — indicators that both mattered to our network and that research told us mattered to girls. So that in a clear, consistent and credible voice, we are able to communicate what we care about at Girls Inc., and what it means to impact girls in Strong, Smart, and Bold ways.
Our 2018 Strong, Smart, and Bold Outcomes Survey confirms that Girls Inc. girls are thriving!
Girls Inc. girls are STRONG:
Girls Inc. girls avoid risky behaviors and remain on track to achieve positive life outcomes:
- 83% of girls say they have not skipped school in the past month and 94% say they believe that getting pregnant would interfere with their schoolwork and goals for school.
- 77% are happy with how their bodies look, compared to 48% of girls in the US nationally.1
Girls Inc. girls are SMART:
- 90% of girls say they plan on going to college.
- 85% of teens know what education or training they need for the career they want.
- 80% know what costs to expect for that education or training.
Girls Inc. girls are BOLD:
Girls Inc. girls believe in their own abilities and see themselves a leaders.
- 90% say they know they can make a positive difference in their communities.
- 80% believe they have the responsibility to improve their community, understanding they have an important role to play as young leaders for change.
Our network is committed to doing this work each and every year so that affiliates can use data in goal setting, benchmarking, and driving the continuous process of organizational improvement. Eventually we hope gathering all this data will allow us to do even more — to demonstrate collective impact, to get even better at what we do, and to raise more money to serve more girls.
In data (and feedback) we trust!
1 Nathan-Tiloy, C., Shann, G., & Skea, B. (2016). The Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report. London: Edelman Intelligence.
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