What is GirlTrek GirlTrek is a national non-profit organization that inspires and organizes Black girls and women - whose communities are most at risk - to live healthier and more fulfilled lives.
Our Strategy GirlTrek is a national walking campaign and easy community service opportunity. Women commit to walking. Some will share victory stories and pictures. Others may decide to start trek teams with their daughters or with the girls in their neighborhoods. Either way, we all commit publicly to making real strides toward healthier communities. ...and we walk it out! It's grassroots organizing at its best!
A trekker is a girl or women who walks with purpose. If you become a trekker, you become an actual, living, breathing role model. Your stories will inspire others. Your commitment to walking will be witnessed by people in your neighborhood. Your pictures will document our movement! Service has never been so fun and easy!
In the off season, GirlTrek also challenges women of color to set ambitious personal fitness goals for a good cause - to inspire the girls in our communities to get moving! We believe ordinary woman can, and should become the faces of healthy living! Join us! .
Our Campaign On April 4, 2010, you can join women across the country and walk it out! The Center for Disease Control tells us that healthy adults should walk briskly for 30 minutes, at least 5 times per week. We will meet that challenge for 12 weeks! Are you in?
Our Philosophy An African proverb teaches us that "When you educate a girl, you educate a village." We believe that. We believe in the power of women and girls to inspire change in their families, schools churches and communities. The ripple effect goes like this. Women and girls set a collective goal, change their habits, and tell their stories. They become ambassadors of healthy living - through action, not words.
Our Charge We are keenly aware that Black women are disporportionately affected by diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and HIV/AIDS. Our goal is to prevent chronic and life-threatening obesity-related diseases, through simple cardiovascular group programs.
Fresh Approach GirlTrek is committed to making healthy living hip and culturally relevant. Black women have been waiting for a program that considers their needs, interests, resources and cultures. Put simply, GirlTrek knows our audience and speaks their language. As such, we've tailored our organization to maximize effectiveness and to maintain street creditability. In fact, our founders are Black women, who publically strive to live healthy lives - with the same ebbs and flows as the other trekkers!
Our Impact: We believe that girls and women play a pivotal role in the way health is discussed and ultimately addressed in their families, schools and churches. GirlTrek aims to make a significant impact this year. In 2010, our goal is to recruit 500 women, who will walk 150 minutes per week, for 12 weeks. That is a total of nearly one million minutes on the streets!!!! Our hope is to start at least 15 trek teams this year and to collect a host of photos and stories detailing the active lives of Black girls and women.
Contact Us!
GirlTrek Inc. Headquarters
3933 Park Avenue
Fairfield, CT 06825
Phone: (203) 940-3659
Fax: (866) 702-8187
