Girls on the Run of Northwest Arkansas

At Girls on the Run we envision a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams! Our mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. 

Girls on the Run of Northwest Arkansas is a physical activity-based, positive youth development program (PA-PYD) for girls in 3rd through 8th grades designed to develop and enhance girls’ social, psychological, and physical competencies to successfully navigate life experiences. As the name implies, running is a part of the program, but our primary focus is empowerment. It is our research-based curriculum, trained coaches and a commitment to serve all girls that sets us apart as an exemplar after-school program. 

Meeting twice-a-week for 10 weeks at their program site, trained Volunteer Coaches lead small teams of 8-20 girls through the curriculum. Girls learn critical life skills such as how to manage emotions, help others, make intentional decisions, and resolve conflict that they use at home, at school, and with friends. Physical activities are woven into each lesson to create an appreciation of fitness and to build habits that lead to a lifetime of health. The program inspires girls to build lives of purpose and to make a meaningful contribution to community and society. This comes to life through a key element of the Girls on the Run curricula when each team creates and executes a community service project. Each season concludes with a celebratory 5K event. Completing a 5K gives the girls a tangible sense of achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. Our mission is to create a world full of joyful, healthy, and confident girls acting on their values. The skills learned through our curriculum – such as how to manage emotions, establish boundaries, develop confidence, and resolve conflict – are skills that girls can use now and, in the future, to cope with life challenges.