Please click below to read This Is ME's press releases....
Fall 2004
1.) Basic overview of organization: What is the mission of This is Me? What services do you provide and which populations do you serve?
The mission of This Is ME reads: This Is ME brings adolescent and teen girls together, with the guidance of concerned women, to discover and explore who they are and what they are capable of accomplishing in light of their individual strengths. This Is ME provides a supportive, creative, and open environment where girls can reflect upon and discuss their achievements and challenges as they grow as women.
We partner with existing organizations and schools to deliver high quality girls programming. Some of our partners include Hanson Park School, Logan Square Boys & Girls Club, and Merrimac Park. Our programming initiatives range from an Improv ensemble to a Mother-Daughter Walking Club to a photography workshop series. Many initiatives are girl inspired and/or girl-led. All of them have a focus on Expression, Esteem, and Enrichment.
Most of our programming targets 6th-8th grade girls, though we now have offerings for girls ages 9-17. We welcome all girls of all backgrounds. The majority of our participants (over 75%) are Latina. About half of our girls are from low-income families.
2.) Why is This is Me vital? What, in your opinion, is the most important and rewarding aspect of your work?
This Is ME is vital for two reasons. First, there are few youth serving agencies, let alone girls program providers, on the northwest side. This geographic area is overlooked in many ways. People don't realize the depth of the needs in the community.
Second, -- and the really rewarding part, is that our programming provides young women with opportunities to strengthen their foundation as autonomous individuals. We help them grow strong peer relationships, explore and enhance their talents, increase their resiliency, and reduce perceived limitations to go after their full potential. Often the girls' increased self-esteem is so significant that it is easily observable. They speak louder and more often. They share more. They express their gratitude for specific ways This Is ME has helped them. Their speaking, writing, acting, body language, and so on are less inhibited. They exude a new level of comfort and happiness. Those who work with young women know what I am talking about.
(3, 4, & 5 are together more or less)
3.) When and why did you join the Girls' Coalition? As a girl-serving professional, what needs or conerns did you hope the Coalition could help you address?
4.) In your view, what are the benefits of Coalition membership? How has CGC supported the work that you do on behalf of girls?
We joined the Girls' Coalition when it began. There's this great synergy among new and existing organizations across the city to provide girls with high quality programming that addresses their specific needs and interests. The Girls' Coalition is so great because it brings all of our efforts together to enhance knowledge and best practice, share successes, and energize each of us to do good work and do it well. It's a no-brainer that Chicago area girls service providers should participate actively in this Coalition.
This Is ME has benefited from CGC support in a number of ways, including learning about other organizations, taking part in useful trainings, meeting people who are kindred spirits, finding out about funding sources, spreading the word about our organization, gaining referrals to our programs, picking up programming ideas, and finding inspiration in the work of fellow Coalition members.
I hope that the Coalition will continue to help us increase our savvy in serving girls: how to incorporate them in organizational leadership, how to help them handle tough issues, how to include their families in the process, etc. Also, as with our girls, as our organization develops we have to cover new terrain and face new needs and concerns. I am optimistic that Coalition members will be able to help us navigate each new set of challenges (fundraising, staff development, etc.).
5.) Are there any specific areas of concern or key issues that your organization grapples with that you would like to see the Coalition address in the coming year? How can the Coalition better support girl-serving organizations and professionals like you?
I think the Coalition has been doing a great job, choosing relevant training topics and providing us with a variety of ways to exchange information and learn from one another. I am also really excited to see some of the Coalition's recent enhancements such as the newsletter and the new sub-committee structure. These are all things that definitely serve us well.
Like most organizations, one of our biggest struggles is fundraising. It is especially difficult for us being relatively young and small. The issue is beyond grant writing skills (heck, I teach a Masters level grant writing course at a major university!) - it's about being a player in the Chicago funding arena. As a Coalition, we have the potential to become a significant player, with benefits for all members. So, over the next year I would like to see us increase our visibility, share networking opportunities beyond the coalition, and join forces to emphasize the intrinsic benefits of investing in girls programming.