About
Girls Rural was founded in August 2008 by Sandra Johnson as an outlet to expose her young daughter and other girls in their small, rural community to different cultural and social activities that were not present in the area. What started out as a field trip here and a field trip there has evolved into a strong community of girls who have learned to "listen" to their own voices, feel valued for who they are, and to express their opinions, ideas and experiences without feeling judged or censored.
Mission
The mission of Girls Rural is to meet the needs of girls living in rural communities by helping girls and young women in these areas overcome the effects of economic and gender inequities that continue to exist in our society, develop their capacity to be self sufficient and responsible citizens and to serve as a forceful advocate for girls. We exist to empower girls to be responsible, self-reliant successful women.
Vision
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We envision a society where women & girls feel valued for who they are and have the confidence and empowerment to voice their opinion and make a positive influence in the world. We want to create a safe, informal and relaxed atmosphere where girls feel like they can express their opinions, ideas and experiences without being judged or censored. There are no cliques or hierarchies here!
OBJECTIVES
1. To empower girls to have self confidence to make their own decisions, voice their opinion, and have the opportunity to make positive choices for the future.
2. To inform girls of important issues and give them strategies, resources and support when facing these issues in their daily lives.
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3. To give girls an opportunity to connect with the community and advocate the issues to other youth through monthly action projects.
CORE VALUES
Empowerment - We strive to empower girls to make positive choices and gain self confidence/esteem and awareness to contribute to society.​
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Education - We strive to educate girls in a spirited informal environment. Each month we will have monthly themes that center around an important relevant issue. We will educate using discussions, handouts, community organization presentations, guest speakers, PowerPoint presentations and more.​
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Advocacy - We encourage girls to become more aware of other community resources and organizations by identifying community resources, encouraging partnerships with other organizations, having presentations from other community organizations and planning our monthly action projects.