Our Mission

At Girls in the Game, every girl finds her voice, discovers her strength and builds confidence through fun and active sports, health and leadership programs.

Our Vision

Girls in the Game empowers all girls to speak up, stand out, and inspire future generations.

  • We nurture the whole girl.

    Our programs encourage physical and emotional health and promote active minds, bodies and hearts.

  • We believe in the power of girls.

    Our girl-centered programs create a space for participants to discover and grow their strength and leadership.

  • We push for equity.

    Recognizing the unique structural and institutional barriers that girls of color face, we prioritize girls and communities that need our programs most.

  • We drive innovation

    We respond to the evolving needs of girls through data-driven practices, taking risks and boldly embracing change.

  • We stand for inclusivity

    Moving beyond the binary of “girl”, we welcome LGBTQ+ youth and gender-expansive participants regardless of gender identity or expression..

  • We create safe spaces.

    Collectively with participants we design programs where girls are safe to be vulnerable, build resilience, and explore who they are and who they want to be.

What is Sports-Based Youth Development?

At Girls in the Game, we use a model called Sports-Based Youth Development or SBYD. This means that we use sport as a tool to develop positive outcomes in girls' lives. For SBYD organizations, the goal is not to create all-star athletes, but instead to help participants practice vital social-emotional skills through sport. SBYD organizations are different from a standard youth sports team in that our curriculum, coach training and safe space practices purposely center social and emotional development over athletic development. Ultimately, the goal is that girls grow up happy, health and strong, and sport is the tool we use to get there!

Want to add Girls in the Game’s evidence-based health and leadership curriculum to your program? We offer our curriculum to outside partners through All in for Girls.

Inclusion Policy

Inclusion Policy

Girls in the Game aims to be a positive, supportive environment for girls and gender-expansive youth. When we say "girls", we mean that we welcome participants regardless of their gender identity and gender expression. We welcome all those who identify as girls or are exploring their gender identity or expression, regardless of their assigned sex at birth. This applies to both to participants who are already in our program and incoming participants.

We respect a young person’s wishes to be called by the name and pronoun they choose and ensure that all participants do the same. We will listen and learn in order to ensure we do not make mistaken assumptions based on outward appearance or performance of gender. We will continue to dedicate ourselves to maintaining a safe, welcoming environment for all participants.

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What Girls Need Now

At the beginning of 2021 Girls in the Game staff and leadership asked themselves: "how can we better serve girls on the West Side?" This led to a series of conversations with residents, stakeholders, and girls on Chicago's West Side about what resources and gaps currently exist in their communities. The result was the "What Girls Need Now Report".

A summary of key findings provides a snapshot of how residents of Austin, East Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, North Lawndale and West Garfield Park view their communities, including improvements they wish to see, assets that already exist in their neighborhoods and the most pressing needs for girls. Girls in the Game will use this research to help close the equity gap for girls on the West Side and build on assets in the community that help fulfill our mission to enable every girl to find her voice, discover her strength and lead with confidence.