This year's Girls' Health and Science Day was attended by over 118 girls from ten Chicago Public Schools.

Project Exploration’s eighth annual Girls’ Health and Science Day held on March 27, 2008, brought together more than 118 Chicago Public School girls in grades 7 - 11 for a one-day conference on health, bodies, and relationships.

The conference was attended by girls from ACE Technical Charter School, Amundsen High School, Big Picture High School at Williams, Barbara A. Sizemore Academy, Hyde Park Academy High School, Perspectives Charter Schools – Calumet and South Loop Campuses, Pritzker College Preparatory, Telpochcalli Elementary School, and Young Women’s Leadership Charter School.

   

Panelists from counseling services and the University of Chicago Medical Center provided answers to girls' anonymous questions.

Gabrielle Lyon, executive director of Project Exploration, introduced the adult track where teachers received resources and tools to help their students.

This year’s event had an outstanding impact on the girls and adults in attendance: 96% of the girls agreed that Girls’ Health and Science Day provided them with medically accurate information, equipped them with information to make healthy decisions, and created a space that was comfortable and safe.

The annual conference developed by girls, for girls, was inspired by Project Exploration’s Sisters4Science after-school program when we were told in 2000, "It is important for all girls to know about themselves. It is important to learn from experts. A lot of girls don’t have support for their concerns or a chance to learn."

Girls were equipped with the five fingers of self-defense—think, yell, run, fight, tell—in a workshop that confirmed that they are worth defending.

Gabrielle Lyon, executive director and cofounder of Project Exploration, kicked off the day with an energizing introduction to Girls’ Health and Science Day. Each girl attended five of the six workshops that were offered. Topics included sexuality, nutrition and exercise, healthy relationships, the female body, sexually transmitted infections, and self-defense. The student workshops were presented by About Face Theatre, Assist Her, Inc., Between Friends, Planned Parenthood, and Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense Center.

This year's Girls' Health and Science Day was attended by over 118 girls from ten Chicago Public Schools.

Girls’ Health and Science Day culminated with a Q&A session in which girls’ anonymous questions were answered by a highly qualified panel. The panel included counselors Debra Freeman-Larrea from Loyola Academy and Renisha Campbell from RMC Consulting. Gladys Nash is a registered nurse with the University of Chicago Medical Center and is also a member of Project Exploration’s Women in Science program.

In addition to the workshops for girls, Girls’ Health and Science Day provided a professional development track for 18 adults who work with girls, facilitated by Project Exploration with presenters from Chicago Girls Coalition and the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health. Lesley Kennedy, executive director of Chicago Girls Coalition, discussed methods to effectively develop programs and activities for girls. Vivian Barrett, manager of training and resources for ICAH, presented the standards and components of quality, science-based, sexual education programs for schools.

According to one teacher, “It was so refreshing to see there are so many other individuals invested in empowering our young women.” Another teacher noted that the adult track “motivated me to get proactive in promoting leadership and awareness in the lives of my young ladies.”

Thanks to all the enthusiastic students, teachers, conference facilitators, and volunteers who helped make Girls’ Health and Science Day a huge success!

Special thanks to our conference sponsors
University of Chicago Medical Center and Motorola Foundation.

Download the 2008 Girls' Health and Science Day program.