ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - Every Friday, girls from the APG North (Aberdeen) youth center learn about healthy attitudes and lifestyles through the SMART Girls program.
SMART Girls is an extension of the SMART Moves program; part of the Boys & Girls Club of America curriculum. SMART stands for Skills, Mastery, and Resistance Training, and is all about teaching girls, ages 8 to 17, how to make positive choices.
Middle School Lead Becky Schwartz said her goal is to create a safe environment for girls to talk about whatever is bothering them. Boys, bullying, body image and peer pressure are frequent topics of discussion for the group members who range in age from 11 to 13-year-olds. Schwartz said the girls often work out how to face potential challenges through role playing.
"Girls in middle school deal with so many changes," she said. "This is a place where these girls can talk about these issues free from judgment."
Schwartz added that SMART Girls also teaches attendees the importance of being positive role models. For instance, the group is currently planning to conduct community service projects at the APG North (Aberdeen) Child Development Center.
Program Assistants Lucinda McDowell and Monica Boyd lead girls in the 8 to 11 year-old age group. McDowell said her goal is to serve as a mentor, teaching the girls how to become responsible, productive young adults. During the classes the girls learn the importance of manners, hygiene, eating right, staying physically fit, getting good health care, developing positive relationships and more. McDowell said the girls learn about building their self-confidence through public speaking and skits.
Girls today encounter many negative influences through the media, especially through sexualization and the setting of unrealistic physical standards, McDowell said. She added that the group teaches girls how to accept and respect their bodies and how to say "no" to drugs, sexual harassment, bullying and more.
"We teach them that they do have a choice," she said.
Above all, the girls have fun while learning, she added, noting that future excursiions include a field trip to a local restaurant to learn proper table etiquette.
Several group members remarked that they enjoy participating in SMART Girls.
"In SMART Girls we learn about how different choices can affect you in the future," said Morgan Tabbert, 13.
"SMART Girls helped me learn how to control my feelings and deal with situations positively," said Cassandra Williams, 11.
"I joined SMART Girls because I want to end bullying and help the world become a better place," said Kiersten Scott, 8.
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