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In creating hardiness zones for girls and women we know that just as different plants grow in different ways, girls and women also tend to grow differently and require different nutrients. This is true whether they live in urban or rural communities, are economically secure or homeless, native or immigrant, are white or of color. The programs we create move away from focusing on single issues such as disordered eating or self esteem. Instead we focus on the social and political landscape that girls grow in, and women live through. Girls’ and women’s positions will not improve until those social and political landscapes are improved.

In order to achieve our vision that all women and girls experience equality, independence and safety in their everyday lives, we work directly with girls and with communities and adults who work with girls' best interests at heart.

We provide programming for second to twelfth grade girls to explore new areas of interest, to challenge themselves by learning new skills and to build alliances with other girls while learning from women who are breaking free of stereotypes.

Girls Unlimited! Conference

Ten years ago, GU! was the genesis of HGHW. Since that time, we've been creating a hardiness zone for girls called the Girls Unlimited! Conference. Girls in grades 5-8 get to spend a day broadening their horizons in workshops and activities designed to challenge and lead them to develop a more critical thinking process about the world around them and their place in it. Past conferences have included:

• Media Makeover: Changing the Face of Art, April 5, 2008
• Teckno Girls Conference: Biz Whiz - Be Miz Independent! April 7, 2007
• Teckno Girls Conference: To Your Health - Careers in Health and Technology: April 8, 2006
• Teckno Girls Conference: Math, Science and Technology: April 30, 2005
• Girls Unlimited! Money Matters Conference: March 6, 2004
• Girls Unlimited! Turn Beauty Inside Out Conference: March 1, 2003
• Girls Unlimited! Creating the World You Want Conference : March 9, 2002

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Girls Advisory Board
The GAB program is composed of young women from 9th to 12th grades who apply to become members. GAB provides opportunities for leadership experience, engaging in social action projects, and keeping the organization current on challenges facing girls today.

Last year, two GAB girls took on the Kmart corporation and got offensive t-shirts making light of violence against girls removed from shelves of stores across the country. This year, some of the GAB girls have been involved in creating GWAVE (Girls With Active Voices Everywhere), a 'zine for and by girls. Changing attitudes and giving girls a space where they can be loud is what we're about. Click here to apply.

Check out the Girls Advisory Board's blog written by girls for girls G-WAVE: A Girls Movement

Please do not hesitate to email with any questions!

Girls Coalition Groups
Comprised of middle school girls and adult muse facilitators, the groups meet weekly to create a coalition of girl allies and to reduce girlfighting by discussing media literacy and how to proactively change the culture through social action projects, such as creating their own 'zine or drafting a sexual harassment policy for their school. The groups also discuss what it means to be an ally and ways to support all girls and each other. The Girls Coalition Groups are based on the curriculum 'From Adversaries to Allies: A Curriculum for Change', authored by Lyn Mikel Brown, Ed.D and Mary Madden, PhD. For more information on how to start Girls' Coalition Groups in your community, email Jackie Dupont.

Adventure Girls An interactive program for girls in grades 2-6, Adventure Girls gives girls the opportunity to meet once a month with women who are defying gender stereotypes and challenging notions of what a girl or woman “should” do or be. Adventure Girls brings girls together with college mentors and women facilitators to learn how mountaineers, race car drivers, boat captains, and other daring women chose to do what they do and how they've found the courage to follow their dreams.

Check out this year's new expanded season by downloading the 2008-2009 Brochure This year we're offering 4 additional events to bring you more choices and opportunities to meet amzing women of daring who are trekking the snow trails, flying the skies, and using chemistry to cause a commotion!

Listen to the public service announcement recorded by two adventure girls

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We provide a number of opportunities to raise awareness of issues concerning women and girls.

• Lending Library Our Lending Library is filled with books, videos, DVD's, magazines, and curricula to suit your needs and interests! There's some fabulous fiction, womanist/feminist studies books, health guides, and herstories (the new and improved version of history), plus much, much more! Come visit our library and borrow whatever suits your fancy anytime, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. We look forward to meeting you!
• Hardy Girl Speakers
  Schedule a Hardy Girl speaker for your next freshman orientation, diversity training day, conference, or just to speak to your class. Call us or check out our website to learn more about our speakers and topics available for presentations.

• Film Series
  Periodically we offer a film and discussion series designed to raise awareness and spark interest in using the many resources we have in our lending library. The series is designed to highlight the harmful cultural messages bombarding both females and males and to create opportunities for deconstructing them. Our most recent series, in collaboration with Boys to Men, was provided in a number of venues around the state.

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Thanks to Hardy Girls...

"I have resources to lean on, learn from, and take great doses of inspiration from. I frequently wonder how I would manage to do battle with those forces that would undo my daughter in her femaleness if not for your daily work in the trenches." - Tania Hathaway, mom to Sophia, 8 1/2 and Adventure Girls Customer