Global Girls, Inc. uses Healing Illinois funds to bring dance, theatre and emotional wellness to girls in Southern Illinois
Global Girls, Inc. used their Healing Illinois grant to empower girls through a "Glow Up Summit" in Chicago and three emotional wellness workshops in Southern Illinois. The summit invited girls from Southern Illinois to heal through a dance and theatre intensive; emotional wellness, financial literacy, and online etiquette workshops; and group bonding time as girls.
Click here to read Part 2 of Global Girls' Healing Illinois story: Emotional wellness workshops
HOW GLOBAL GIRLS EMPOWERS BLACK YOUTH IN ILLINOIS AND BEYOND
Global Girls, Inc. has been serving local communities for 23 years across multiple locations in Illinois and elsewhere, including their headquarters in Chicago.
Youth performance and emotional wellness are the cornerstones of their programming. Most of their activities are focused on Black girls ages 6 through 14, leveraging partnerships with local schools and organizations to reach as many girls as possible. Another arm dedicated to taking youth on trips abroad to other countries, including India, Ghana and Kenya.
While Global Girls, Inc. is headquartered in Avalon Park, Chicago, their reach goes much farther. There are multiple branches, including in Springfield, Illinois; East St. Louis, Illinois; Cairo/Mounds, Illinois; Carbondale, Illinois; and Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The organization is growing more each day, as its services are in high demand, with a new location slated to open in Kalamazoo, Michigan by end of 2024.
A portion of the 2024 Healing Illinois grant allowed executive director Marvinetta Woodley-Penn to host a Chicago "Glow Up Summit" where girls from Southern Illinois and their parents were invited into the city for a day of healing workshops.
DETAILS OF THE GLOW UP SUMMIT
The full-day "Glow Up Summit" was held at Calvary Baptist Church in Avalon Park. The program was available to girls ages 8 to 14 from East Saint Louis, Springfield, and Cairo.
The slogan of the summit was, "My attitude is my life!", which speaks to Marvinetta's core message that the girls have the power within themselves to improve their own lives. "Our focus is emotional wellness, and our motto is, 'You can't always change what happens to you, but you can change how you react to it, how you respond to it,'" she says.
In addition to that emotional wellness component, the Glow Up Summit taught the girls financial literacy, online etiquette, entrepreneurship, and dance/acting. Performing arts are a key component of most Global Girls programs.
"Dance and theatre are powerful outlets for expressing emotions. They allow girls to channel their feelings through movement and the opportunity to say what's in their hearts in the lines of an assumed character on the stage," Marvinetta explains. "Participating in dance and theatre training provides opportunities for social interaction and building friendships. This social support can be a key factor in emotional well-being."
HOW THE GIRLS RESPONDED TO THE GLOW UP SUMMIT
Though the summit offered many learning opportunities, the girls loved the dance and theatre portion the most because it gave them a chance to bond with each other. Here's what one of the girls had to say about their experience overcoming fear through dance:
"At first, I was afraid to join in with girls I didn't know, but once we started dancing together, I felt comfortable and saw that some were just as challenged as I was with the steps. We all worked hard together. That felt good. I made two new friends that I will stay in touch with and maybe see again at the summit next year."
Some of the other girls simply needed a listening ear that they might not get in their regular life. They felt the Glow Up Summit was a place where they could get support from each other without judgment from the outside world, family members, or peers at school.
"In Global Girls, it's not about how cute or smart or well-dressed you are. It's about how hard you work. I loved the summit because everybody accepted everybody else and helped people when we needed help. I needed a lot," shared one of the girls.
Another had this to say: "At home, I don't get to talk about how I feel. Nobody, even my mother, seems to have time to listen. At the summit and in Global Girls sessions, we have check-in where we get to say whatever is on our minds. That's one of my favorite parts cause people really listen to me and I listen to them. I feel I can say what I'm really feeling and no one will laugh or make fun of me."
These types of healing spaces are crucial for the girls' social-emotional development.
AN APPROACH THAT'S REACHING GEN Z AND GEN ALPHA
Marvinetta notes that in-person programs like these are especially important for the younger generations who were isolated during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and who continue to stay isolated behind a phone screen in their day-to-day lives.
"Oh my gosh, they can go on TikTok and spend hours," she says. "Locus of control is outside. But this puts the locus of control back inside of them."
LEARN MORE ABOUT GLOBAL GIRLS, INC AND HEALING ILLINOIS
Those interested in learning more about Global Girls Inc and emotional wellness can visit the following resources:
Global Girls, Inc is one of 184 grantees who received Healing Illinois funds for 2023-2024. You can view more sub-grantee stories on the Healing Illinois website and Healing Illinois Instagram page, as well as view past and upcoming Healing Illinois events.
