HelpLine recently received a 2021 Women’s Fund of Central Ohio grant for the second consecutive year for the Thank Goodness I’m Female (TGIF) Leadership Cohort. The TGIF Leadership Cohort is a skills building leadership group for high school students identifying as girls. The cohort is based around a “you can’t be what you can’t see” model, providing a unique space for participants to engage with peer and adult women leaders to develop, cultivate, and implement leadership skills and influence social change through a series of modules, community service projects, and a capstone project.
The cohort creates opportunities for girls to nurture, cultivate, and implement leadership and communication skills (e.g. public speaking, advocacy). Modules are developed by girls/women for girls, are facilitated by women, peer, or community experts, with opportunities for participants to ask questions and make meaningful connections. The TGIF Leadership Cohort will serve 10 high school students identifying as girls from the following schools in Delaware County: Buckeye Valley, Olentangy District High Schools, Delaware Hayes, and Big Walnut. The Cohort allows past participants to participate as mentors for continued peer to peer support.
