ACMS Foundation Feature: Girls Inc.

Building Strong, Smart, and Bold Futures in Pittsburgh

By: Isabel Greenstein, Development Manager, Strong Women, Strong Girls

Girls Inc. of Greater Pittsburgh (GIGP) is a girl-serving multi-generational mentorship organization that connects hundreds of girls with caring mentors.

For nearly 20 years, Strong Women Strong Girls (SWSG) has been empowering women and girls in Pittsburgh. Now, SWSG is proud to continue serving girls who need it most through a partnership with Girls Inc., the longest-running girls’ leadership organization in the country.

This October, SWSG officially became an affiliate of Girls Inc. This strategic decision is an opportunity to go farther and do more for girls with the infrastructure, resources, and leadership of a Girls Inc. national office and a network of 75 Girls Inc. affiliates. Girls Inc. is the leading girl-serving organization nationwide, serving more than 110,000 girls through a network of 75+ affiliates. Until now, Girls Inc. has not had a presence in Pittsburgh. By becoming an affiliate, GIGP can combine our nearly 20 years of experience serving Pittsburgh-area girls with Girls Inc.’s research-based programming to expand our impact on the girls in our community.

At the core of our work is our innovative multi-generational mentoring model. Each week, we bring college women mentors together with girls in grades 3-5 at more than 40 program sites across Allegheny County. College women mentors create safe environments where girls can learn, take risks, and grow.

Through this model, college women also build strong mentoring relationships with professional women. By connecting these two generations of women, college participants gain personal insight and real-world career guidance from a supportive community of women. This cycle of mutual empowerment connects women at different stages of life to learn from and grow with each other. Our mentoring community encourages our girls and young women to be the leaders and changemakers they dream to be.

Girls always have and will continue to be our primary beneficiaries. GIGP serves girls in grades 3-5 from under-resourced communities in the Pittsburgh area. These girls are facing significant challenges. The Girls’ Index, a national survey tracking the experiences of girls since 2017 has highlighted an alarming trend in girls’ wellbeing. Since 2017, extreme sadness and depression tripled in 5th and 6th grade girls, and overall rates of girls’ confidence have dropped from 68% to 55% (Ruling Our Experiences, 2023). 79% of girls reported feeling like they were under so much pressure they feel like they’re going to “explode” (Ruling Our Experiences, 2023). By high school, 57% of girls report experiencing “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness,” a dramatic increase from 36% in 2011 (CDC, 2023).

Girls of color and those with limited resources face disproportionate challenges that exacerbate the troubling statistics noted above. Our focus is reaching these girls who face the most significant barriers to success– girls in communities with high percentages of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and/or high rates of poverty or limited access to resources. Of the 497 girls that GIGP served in the 2023-2024 program year, 62% identified as girls of color and almost 31% had a household income of less than $28,000 per year.

This fall, GIGP is excited to announce the expansion of its programming into middle schools in Pittsburgh. As the Girls’ Index shows, girls in middle school are facing challenges that are impacting their mental health, confidence, and overall wellbeing. With the inclusion of middle school girls, girls in grades 3-8 will now have the opportunity to participate in programs that address the specific challenges they face and equip them with the skills they need to thrive.

While mentees remain the primary beneficiary of GIGP, our multi-generational model also addresses the needs of the mentors: young women enrolled in college and professional women in various career stages. Women continue to confront opportunity gaps that limit their achievement and their leadership, as reflected in the gender pay gap and lower percentage of women in leadership roles. Less than 30% of corporate board members are women (Moody’s, 2022) and less than 5% are African-American women (ISS Corporate Solutions, 2021). The experiences that girls receive through GIGP address needs that exist well into adulthood, equipping them with lifelong skills to succeed.

GIGP’s mentoring program addresses the challenges girls face by creating a safe space for girls to form meaningful relationships with peers and positive female role models. GIGP is building the next generation of leaders in Pittsburgh, by inspiring all girls and women to be strong, smart, and bold.

If you would like to get involved with GIGP or learn more, please sign up for our newsletter here or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, or LinkedIn. If you would like to support our work and upcoming expansion into middle schools, please consider making a donation here.

You can also sign up to volunteer with us for the upcoming semester using this link. There are multiple ways to be involved:

1. Volunteering at an event or field trip for the elementary school girls
2. Be a Role Model and visit one of our sites to introduce the girls to your career!
3. Professional Development sessions for the college women