Background
Girls First, a 5O1-C (3) non-profit organization, was founded in 1997 to provide sport and movement opportunities to underserved girls between the ages of 6-16 in the metropolitan New Orleans area. Girls participating in the program attend a weeklong residential sports camp and continue to attend monthly activities throughout the year.  Girls First introduces girls to sights they have never seen, activities they have never participated in, and the sense of adventure they need to grow into healthy, confident young women. Girls First is unique in its movement and sport specificity.  No other New Orleans area program serves girls in this capacity.

Goals
The purpose of Girls First is to provide girls with the opportunity to increase their physical activity through sport and movement.  With their participation in sport, girls will experience greater self-esteem, greater self-confidence and are less likely to manifest at-risk behaviors.  The long-term goals of Girls First are to lower teenage pregnancy rates, improve body image, and improve the self-esteem of the girls in the program.  In addition, Girls First works to dispel negative attitudes that participants may have regarding physical activity by demonstrating that exercise can be fun. 

Girls First offers the girls the opportunity to play.  It is through play, both structured and unstructured, that girls begin to feel good about themselves.  Empirical data supports the fact that girls who actively participate in sports are less likely to become pregnant, to smoke, or to use drugs.  At Girls First, a girl does not have to be a great athlete; she simply has to want to play. Girls will develop self-confidence and will learn to be proud of who they are and to value their personal health and wellness.

Why Girls First

In Louisiana:
• Every 43 minutes a baby is born to a teenage mother
• Every 24 minutes a baby is born into poverty
• Louisiana ranks 8th in the nation of birth of babies to teen mothers
• 43% of eighth graders fail the LEAP test
• High school drop-out rate is exceptionally high
• 80% of public schools no longer include Physical Education as a core class
(Source: Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health: Louisiana Health Report Card)

The transition from childhood to adulthood under the best of circumstances is a difficult and tumultuous period in an adolescent's life. The challenges during this growth period include the search for personal identity, attaining emotional and psychological independence, the development of personal values, and the ability to master impulse control. During this time, young people must also develop critical thinking and reasoning skills necessary for future adult roles, social skills for relating to parents and peers, and continue to focus on academic achievement and career prospects in order to enter the labor force. Girls First is an important step in celebrating young women, and in equipping girls with the skills they need to be successful. Girls First supports girls as they strive toward healthy and productive futures.