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1995 - Christine Soto, former Executive Director of
Girls Inc. convened the first meeting of what became the Colorado Coalition
for Girls (CCG). Soto had recently been in contact with the Girls Coalition
of Greater Boston, which was thriving. The meeting brought together agencies
with a strong focus on girls including: Girl Scouts, Girls Inc., Big Sisters,
Denver Kids, and Girls Count. Over the years, Boys and Girls Club, MiCasa
Resource Center for Women, the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, Colorado
Girls and Women in Sports, Denver Women’s Commission, NREL, Mothers
& Daughters, Inc., and many others too numerous to mention, participated.
CCG’s goals included networking, resource and information sharing,
advocacy, media relations and others that supported girls and those who
work with girls.
1996 - The Coalition’s first project was participation
in Take Our Daughters to Work Day, coordinated by Girls Count on behalf
of the Coalition. They distributed information on how to sponsor the program
in one’s own organization and helped match girls from member organizations
with Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce volunteers. This was designed
to give girls a view of a job different from their parents. I
1997 - MiCasa Resource Center for Women coordinates
Take Our Daughters to Work Day.
1996-1997 - Coalition partners with Girls Count and
the Women’s Foundation of Colorado on a project celebrating the
25th anniversary of Title IX. With funding from the Women’s Foundation
of Colorado, 20 girls interviewed local and national women’s leaders
about their lives.
1998 – 2000 - Based on the success of the previous
effort, and with financial support from the Women’s Foundation of
Colorado, the Coalition runs a leadership program for girls: Voices Carry.
Targeting unrecognized leaders from a variety of schools, the program
included intensive team building and leadership development to help 20
teens become spokespeople for the concerns of girls. We also provided
opportunities for the girls participating in our organizations, identifying
girls for an outdoor wilderness adventure, performing arts and writing
opportunities, sports opportunities, etc.
2001 - Coalition sponsors a conference promoting girls
in science, technology, engineering and math. 150 girls spent a day at
CU - Boulder with female professionals in the computer technology and
other fields. The program, underwritten by the Women’s Foundation
of Colorado, was designed to encourage girls to consider the technical
side of computer – related jobs. The Colorado Coalition for Girls
took the lead in organizing community participation in a PBS special presentation
of “5 Girls”.
2002 - 100 girls attend a Girls and Technology camp
in at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. The U.S. Department of
Labor Women’s Bureau provides funding for the event. The Colorado
Women’s Leadership Coalition invites young women to speak to their
members about issues of concern to girls.
2004 - Colorado Coalition for Girls writes an issue
paper How TABOR and State Budget Cuts have Hurt Girls.
2005 - Coalition conducts an online needs assessment
to identify issues of importance to girls and develop an agenda for the
near future, serving as the basis for upcoming meetings and initiatives.
The number one issue identified by respondents was issues related to self-esteem.
The Coalition’s Web site, www.cocoalitionforgirls.org is launched.
The primary role of the Girls Coalition remains advocacy,
networking, cross promotion of events and information sharing. Like most
coalitions, the Colorado Coalition for Girls has struggled to accomplish
its goals without paid staff. Each of our members balances the demands
of her paid employment with contributing to a collective effort. |
