The third annual Girlsʼ Day Out presented by the
Schenectady County Working Group on Girls,
brought together 150 middle school girls from
the Schenectady City School District. The
purpose was to teach the girls how to make
positive choices, build and maintain healthy
relationships and live healthy life styles. It also
gave them a chance to tap into their creativity.
The Schenectady County Working Group on
Girls (SCWGG) is a collaborative community
committee functioning under the auspices of the
League of Women Voters of Schenectady
County and the NYS LWV Education Foundation
Girlsʼ Day Out is organized by volunteers from
Schenectady agencies and organizations that
serve and care about girls. The event is
presented in conjuncion with the Schenectady
City School District, and the districtʼs counselors
and social workers participate.
The dining room bubbled with excitement as the
girls from Oneida, Martin Luther King, Central
Park and Mont Pleasant middle schools, sipped
hot cocoa and ate pastries. But the room got
quiet when keynote speaker Nichelle Rivers
began to sing: "I believe I can fly. I think about it
every night and day Spread my wings and fly
away." She went on to encourage the girls to
pursue their education and live their lives to the
fullest, quoting Nelson Mandela saying '"Our
deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our
deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness that
most frightens us."
After breakfast, the girls broke up into
workshops that taught skills like how to manage
friendships, how to build healthy relationships
and how to communicate effectively with parents
and other adults.
Joanne Tobiessen, chair of the Schenectady County
Working Group on Girls has just welcomed everyone
to the Third Annual Girls' Day Out at the Glen
Sanders Mansion and introduced Dr. Nichelle Rivers,
Keynote Speaker and MC for the day. Nichelle has
participated in Girls' Day Out for three years, starting
when she was Asst. Superintendent of the Troy
School District; she is now Executive Director for
School Improvement, Accountability and Funded
Programs in the Hempstead Union Free School
District. She began her keynote by singing 'I Believe I
Can Fly'.
The eventʼs organizers believe that the
combination of learning, sharing and creating
encouraged in the workshops will ensure not just
a great day but may inspire the girls to strive for
a great future.
The inspiration continues in the Girlʼ Circles,
which meet bi-weekly for nine sessions following
the Girlsʼ Day Out program. Facilitated by
trained female volunteers, the groups give girls a
chance to discuss their interests hopes and
worries.
© Copyright
League of Women Voters of Schenectady County, New York. All rights reserved.
![[LWV]](images/lwv76.gif)
