Girls as Community Advocates

I am grateful for participating in the Girls Advocacy Project (GAP) because I developed skills to be a community advocate by researching, communicating, collaborating, and finding inspiration in improving my community.

The other participants and I analyzed surveys that Girls Inc. distributed to girls in Oakland public high schools to see what needs they had that we could address.

We found their main issue was inaccessibility to sexual health information and resources. To create avenues of accessibility we compiled resource guides that provide current, detailed information on where youth-friendly information and services are provided, initiated the addition of youth advisors on public health clinic boards, and started annual health fairs in five high schools.

Collaborating with the public health clinics was time consuming but the hard work paid off. The lack of teen friendly resources was brought to their attention (some for the first time), and many clinics were interested in teens’ input. My Girls Inc. experience made me proud of the role I played in providing crucial health resources to my peers that enable them to make informed decisions.

Keep advocating,

Diamond, 18-year-old Girls Inc. participant and intern, 2009 Girls Inc. National Scholar, and 2009 Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame Youth Award Recipient