Youth Programming at The Fund
The Fund offers two youth programs that provide education and leadership training to local high school students in 10th-12th grade. Girls Advisory Board (GAB) and CivicG+ are free programs that educate and provide skills in the areas of philanthropy and advocacy.
Girls Advisory Board
CivicG+
A nationally recognized grantmaking program, the Girls Advisory Board (GAB) provides local high school students entering 10th or 11th or 12th grade with an opportunity to learn firsthand about the deep and varied needs in their communities and equip themselves with the skills needed to address them.
Over the past 19 years, GAB has awarded over $300,000 to agencies that target the needs of women and girls through innovative services to tackle issues like poverty, violence, homelessness, mental illness, teen pregnancy and substance abuse. As a member of GAB, you will:
- Learn about philanthropy and giving back to your community
- Make new friends from different schools and communities in Chester County
- Discuss pressing social issues with your peers
- Meet non-profits doing “boots-on-the-ground” work for women and girls
- Collaborate with peers to fund up to $20,000 to local organizations through strategic grantmaking
- Participate in community service activities
- Get to know influential women in your community
Learn more about our 2022-2023 GAB Grantee Partners.
CivicG+ is a civic engagement program that provides local high school girls and gender expansive students entering 10th, 11th or 12th grade with an opportunity to learn firsthand about civics, government, advocacy, policy and leadership. As a member of CivicG+, you will:
- Work with peers to develop and lead advocacy campaigns
- Make new friends from different schools and communities in Chester County
- Meet local and state elected officials
- Get to know influential women in your community
- Participate in service projects
Both youth programs are free for participants, and accepted students may participate in these programs for a total of two years. Please contact info@thefundcc.org with any questions about these programs.
Girls in Action Summit 2021
Our 3rd Annual Girls in Action Summit took place on Saturday, October 2, 2021, from 9:00am-12:30pm at the Melton Center in West Chester. Inspired by our award-winning Girls Advisory Board (GAB) girls’ grantmaking and leadership program, the Summit engaged high school girls throughout Chester County for an empowering morning of action. Attendees learned about the deep and varied needs in their communities while engaging in strategic grantmaking.
This year, we were thrilled to welcome keynote speaker Lynette Medley, Founder and CEO of No More Secrets: Mind Body Spirit Inc. An expert in areas of gender justice, racial justice, reproductive justice and menstrual justice, her passion lies in promoting inclusivity. Recently, Lynette and her daughter Nya opened The SPOT Period – the nation’s first crowdfunded menstrual hub – in Philadelphia. Click to read our awesome Resource Guide!
GirlGov through the years
GirlGov 2021-22
Reproductive Justice Committee
- Advocated for free sanitary products in schools throughout PA
- Organized community event to raise awareness
- Reached out and spoke with experts and local leaders to create momentum on the issue
Environmental Justice Committee
- Advocated for communities adversely affected by the Covanta incinerator in Chester
- Collected information and connected with experts and advocates
Mental Health Committee
- Advocated for mental health services and education to be included in schools
- Focused on writing legislation and ensuring that teachers have proper mental health training
- Raised community awareness and connected with experts
Anti-Oppression Committee
- Advocated for the rights of immigrants in underrepresented communities in Chester County
- Focused on ICE presence in schools in communities with larger immigrant populations
- Compiled reading lists and resources to promote greater inclusivity in school curriculum
Click to listen to GirlGov Chester County’s podcast!
Past Committees
GirlGov 2020-21
- Reproductive Justice – advocated for the passage of House Bill 1335 which would mandate comprehensive sex ed throughout public schools in PA; collected testimonials from youth and launched social media campaign
- Violence Prevention – educated their peers and the community about the dangers of human trafficking; hosted a forum with experts
- LGBTQ+ Rights – advocated for the passage of House Bill 729 which would ban mental health professionals from using conversion therapy on minors; collected testimonials from youth
- Environmental Justice – advocated on behalf of the local environmental justice community to convince the Ocean City Maryland city council to end its contract with the Covanta trash incinerator, which is located in Chester and has significant detrimental health impacts on the low-income, minority communities there; wrote petitions, attended local citizen action meetings
GirlGov 2019-20
- Education Committee – called legislators, met with bill sponsor, and joined the statewide PA for Comprehensive Sex Ed Coalition; helped organize a series of webinars to educate the public about HB 1586 and the importance of comprehensive, science-based sex ed in schools
- Environmental Justice – advocated for change in environmental education in Pennsylvania; wrote a bill that would mandate comprehensive environmental education (including the topics of climate change, sustainability, environmental justice, etc.) in public primary and secondary schools across the state; advocated for bill through Instagram: @growingupgreenerpa; attended a PA Department of Education Conference Call and shared input with experts; toward the end of project, received news that the State Board of Education had directed the PA Department of Education to start the process of updating the PA science standards to include current research and curriculum on climate change and global warming
- Racial Justice Committee – educated peers and community members about ACEs, or Adverse Childhood Experiences, with a focus on race; partnered with Chester County Health Department’s ACEs Coalition to create posters and materials for ACEs education in schools; created an online presence and posted about ACEs through their Instagram account @6YoungMinds; attended community events on race and mental health
GAB through the years
- Granted over 90 grants and $260,000 to area nonprofits serving women and girls in Chester County.
- Co-hosted the first national Girls Grant Making Conference where more than 30 high-school girls from across the country, including our own GAB girls, taught us and each other how they identify and implement change through community grantmaking.
- Brings together girls from 27 different public, private and parochial schools. Nearly every high school in Chester County has been represented since the program’s inception.
- Awarded the 2007 “Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy” Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Philadelphia Chapter.
Priority areas chosen by this year’s class:
- Access to reproductive healthcare and education for women and girls
- Immigration and refugee services for women and girls
- Support and education for women and girls experiencing violence
The 2021-22 GAB grant recipients were:
- Alianzas de Phoenixville – $4,000 to support the Mariposas Women’s Program that includes clinical trauma counseling, a women’s support and sewing group, and an English tutoring program for immigrant women and girls living in Phoenixville.
- The Crime Victims Center of Chester County – $4,000 to support direct services to their clients, more than half of whom experienced sexual violence. Direct services include professional, personal and effective advocacy for their clients.
- The Domestic Violence Center of Chester County – $3,800 to support the expansion of DVCCC’s weekly In-School Teen Support Group on teen dating violence and relationship
abuse for girls in high schools throughout Chester County. - Volunteer English Program – $4,000 to provide direct support to recruit and prepare new volunteers who will serve as tutors, partner tutors with adult immigrant women, and provide ongoing mentorship and support.
- The Clinic – $3,200 to support access to contraception for medically underserved women by providing a number of female patients with an entire year of free contraceptives.
Hear from girls' programming alumni
DACA in Chester County
The GAB Class of 2017 sat down with Kennett Square native and former GAB girl Anel Medina to talk about the importance of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in her life and the lives of many other DACA recipients in Chester County. Through this video, the girls hope to bring more awareness to DACA and show how changes to the program will impact Anel and young people like her living in our communities.
In the news
Four Girls on a Mission Blog
GirlGov Chester County members Althea Mae Hutchinson and Alessandra Bielli penned powerful blog posts for local apparel company, Four Girls on a Mission.
A number of GAB alumna have also been featured on the Four Girls blog: read posts by Ananya, Bess, Caitlin, Carlee, Emma, Isha, Simran and Sophie.
Philanthropy Network
GAB girl Tali Levine, Class of 2019-20, reflected on her year of grantmaking and what the program has meant to her.
Generocity
Three of our second-year GAB girls were interviewed by Generocity.com, a social impact publication in Philadelphia, about the power of consensus and collaboration in fostering change.
Philadelphia Inquirer
GAB girls Carlee, Simran, Sophie, Ananya and Isha were photographed by the Philly Inquirer for an article exploring a new wave of activism among younger generations. The girls spoke about discovering their collective voice through empowering apparel.
WHYY
Check out the interview that The Fund Executive Director Michelle Legaspi Sanchez and GAB girls Emory and Bess sat down for with Dave Heller of WHYY’s NewsworksTonight! They spoke about the power of girls grantmaking and giving back to their communities.
