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GOGIRLGO!
NICHOLAS MCCARDLE
Ask anyone growing up in a community without privilege or much access to opportunity what it’s like to be raised without role models—when you don’t see anyone successful who even looks or sounds like you. Most will repeat the adage that it’s very hard to become something you can’t see as possible.
This is as true of rural, impoverished communities as it is of marginalized communities in urban inner cities. Dr. Breanna Nolan, a pediatrician who graduated from the West Virginia University School of Medicine, had her first chance to plant seeds of possibilities for others when she returned to her hometown of Reader, West Virginia. There she implemented an after-school program at Short Line Elementary, the grade school she attended as a child.
The program she created, GoGirlGo!, is an initiative of the Women’s Sports Foundation, an organization founded by tennis legend Billie Jean King. Dr. Nolan, a WVU Pediatric Residency Rural Scholar, first learned about this project through her research on various after-school programs she could implement in rural communities.
She was impressed with the statistics supporting its success and liked that the program would be free to those who wished to participate. Designed to focus on girls ranging from ages five to thirteen, GoGirlGo! begins by making sure participants are engaged in thirty minutes of physical activity followed by an additional thirty minutes of health education. Some of these education topics include nutrition, body image, self-esteem, substance abuse, bullying, leadership, diversity, and dealing with difficult emotions. The curriculum is all-encompassing, covering all areas of health, including mental, social, emotional, and physical well-being.
Nothing like that had ever been offered to Dr. Nolan as a little girl. But as a believer that brave new ideas can change lives and improve entire communities, she championed the program—convinced it could make a difference.
It is no secret that physical activity is a great way to deal with stress, anxiety, and depression. Adding to that principle, Dr. Nolan adapted a form of “walk-and-talk” therapy that combines physical activity with talk therapy, which has been shown to be highly effective. The approach helps promote positivity through the forward motion of walking. By merging exercise with a health education curriculum, Dr. Nolan was excited to create a positive and uplifting environment for her participants. In a safe, supportive environment, she was convinced young girls would be empowered to share their feelings and articulate their dreams and plans.
“I want to give back to the community that gave so much to me as I grew up,” Dr. Nolan said. “I think that middle school can be a tough time full of transitions and changes, and I hope that the girls will use these lessons to help them cope and even thrive throughout this integral time of adolescence.”
The project is intended to offer girls more opportunities for physical activity outside of competitive sports. Such opportunities were not readily available to Nolan when she was younger, and there were few safe places for children to walk and play outside. Girls may resist the more competitive component of physical activity and miss out on the fun—a pattern Nolan looks to replace. Hopefully an after-school program that encourages girls to have a wonderful time while being active with friends will be of benefit to everyone at school, in their families, and in the town.
Tracy Mason, a teacher at Short Line Elementary, talked about how valuable an effective program could be. “I see girls in my class struggle every day with self-esteem,” she noted. “Some of the problems that they encounter are bullying and cliques. Another problem is socioeconomic status. Certain girls feel less than adequate because their opportunities may not be the same as others’.” This also applies to materialistic items. Can one after-school program make a difference?
Mason says, “I believe that the GoGirlGo! program has the potential to have a big influence on the youth of our rural community. I think it is important to have a program such as this for girls to have an avenue to express their concerns with their physical and emotional well-being.”
Dr. Nolan’s initiative gained support from the Wetzel County Board of Education after she gave a presentation detailing her plan to implement GoGirlGo! Her passion and determination to make a difference made quite the impression on the director of secondary and vocational education, Tammy Holbert Wells.
“GoGirlGo! in a remote, rural area like Short Line will impact young girls in ways beyond the mission of the program of increased physical activity,” she said. “The young physicians working with these girls will undoubtedly be excellent role models for our students to emulate, and Breanna is one of them.”
Wells continued, “How much hope does that give a young girl with a brain on fire and the drive to succeed? Imagine the young lady that has skills and smarts but has never dared to dream of becoming a physician or whatever she wishes? Seeing a physician from her hometown working with others to make a difference just may be the catalyst for her to achieve her dreams.”
Nicholas’s story highlights the importance of learning how to take care of your mind and body. From meditation to physical activity to learning about nutrition, there are several ways to be kind to yourself, and we encourage you to practice them. My mom loves to do ballet, and I love yoga and gyrotonics—it’s important that we all find our own self care practices. Thank you for the important reminder, Nicholas! To learn more about GoGirlGo, we invite you to visit the Women’s Sports Foundation.
As proactive as GoGirlGo! is, programming alone does not change lives for the better. Rather, it’s the people running the programs who make them fly, or not. What they give lasts forever—by being kind and courageous enough to show up and encourage younger individuals to foster their dreams and take the needed steps to make them a reality.