Girls Inc. of Metro Denver

Girls Inc. of Metro Denver Programs are held at our Center in West Denver. 21,000 square feet of space was designed and built just for girls' programming. We will also partner with existing after school programs to provide curriculum.

Girls Inc. of Metro Denver’s grassroots heritage traces back to a group of West Denver citizens concerned about the rising number of girls experiencing juvenile delinquency, school drop-outs and teen pregnancy in the community. In 1983, they founded the Girls Club of Denver as an affiliate of the national nonprofit youth organization, Girls Clubs of America. In 1990, when Girls Clubs changed their name to Girls Incorporated, we followed suit. In spring 2003, we moved into substantially larger quarters that include science and computer labs, a full-size gym, and metro Denver’s only teen center designed for girls. Today, with the assistance of about 30 community partners annually, our programs have touched the lives of more than 25,000 girls and young women.

Our overarching goals are to offer a variety of comprehensive educational programs for girls ages 6 to 19, mostly from high-risk, underserved areas that encourage them to master challenges, build self-esteem, and achieve confident and responsible adulthood. Objectives for our programs reside with the specific class or workshop being taught. Overall outcomes of our programming include increasing self-efficacy, increased expectations for the future, increased problem solving skills and increased school bonding, among others. Our key goals are (1) to enhance girls’ academic experience and knowledge so that they stay in school and (2) teach them how to make healthy and responsible choices that lead to successful futures.
Girls Inc. of Metro Denver offers empowerment and prevention programs that prepare girls to succeed in a world where women still encounter social and cultural barriers to success. We provide age-appropriate programs in the areas of Careers & Life Planning, Health & Sexuality, Leadership & Community Action, Sports & Adventure, Self-Reliance & Life Skills, and Culture & Heritage. We offer center-based classes at our West Colfax facility and outreach classes and workshops around the metro area with partner agencies. Through both our Center and Outreach programs, we serve about 2,000 constituents and deliver over 65,000 hours of programming annually. We also provide professional trainings for youth workers in our curricula on teen pregnancy and substance abuse prevention; and presentations for adults on girl-related issues of development and communication.

On a case by case basis, staff will refer and support families with special needs.

All programs are designed with experiential learning philosophy, and are hands on, activity based, and thoughtfully created. We are not a recreation or drop in program. All of our programs are connected to learning outcomes which focus on the whole girl.

 We have over 60 age appropriate and curriculum based programs that support the whole girl!  Here are some highlights: 

o   Girls Inc. Operation SMART® (Science, Math, and Relevant Technology) is designed to engage girls in computer technology, science and math.

o   Girls Inc. Economic Literacy® teaches money management skills.

o   Girls Inc. Media Literacy® teaches girls to identify stereotypes, examine media images and messages of beauty, gender roles and more.

o   Reading Comprehension and Literacy engages girls in reading and story-related activities.

o   Girls Inc. Friendly PEERsuasion® - Our nationally recognized substance abuse prevention program for middle school girls.

o   Girls Inc. Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy® - A series of age-appropriate programs about how to make responsible choices about sexuality.

o   Girls Inc. ProjectBOLD® - A multi-level program about self-defense and violence prevention.

o   The Leader Within - Teaches girls how to identify, and cultivate, the qualities of leadership within themselves.