2021 FALL SEASON PARENT GUIDE ZGiRLS.org
YOU BELONG HERE
If you had to tell a friend about ZGiRLS, how would you explain it to them? "Awesome, fun, you should try it. We talk about things that can boost your confidence, and make you healthier, with a new guest speaker every time." (Ella, 11) "ZGiRLS will change your life, if you give it a shot. It gives you confidence, a positive headspace, and a better understanding of how AMAZING you are! It gives you the tools to live a centered, courageous, and resilient life! " (Lucie, 13) "It is very fun and you get to talk to professional women athletes which is my favorite part!! "(Sanaa, 10)
"It is an amazing program that builds confidence and allows you to gain more strength physically and mentally. It is amazing for teen girls. I am obsessed!" (Faith, 14) "ZGiRLS is a program that helps tweens/teens with building confidence and thinking more positive. While doing fun activities. To add to that, you also get to become really close with these girls. Maybe even friends for life." (Emily, 11)
WELCOME!!! We are excited to welcome YOU and your daughter into the ZGiRLS community this season. Here are a few things you need to know before we get started.
PARENT MANUAL OVERVIEW Why ZGiRLS? ZGiRLS equips girls with the tools and resources they
need to be confident, centered, and courageous. (pg. 1) ZGiRLS Values: Energy, Team, Belonging, Strength, Challenges,
and Sports (pg. 2) Team: Meet our courageous and confident team on a mission to
create a work where girls and women live with ZERO limitations. (pg. 3) Champions: Professional and collegiate athletes who embody
what it means to live with ZERO limitations. They are committed to empowering the next generation of ZGiRLS by encouraging them to step into their own CONFIDENCE. (pg. 4) Fall Season Schedule: October 6 - November 10 (pg. 5) Season Curriculum: Mindfulness, Communication, Inner Strength,
and more.... (pg. 6)
Online Platform: We are using a secure platform called Crowdcast
to connect with your girls. Please see the login information below. (pg. 7) Parent Playbook: Resources sent directly to YOU. We summarize
what the girls learn, let you know why the topic is important, and conversation starters for you to try out with your girls. (pg. 8) Challenges: Tangible confidence-building skills that your daughter
can practice at home. After all, practice makes perfect. (pg. 9-10) Squads: We want to foster a strong and supportive community for
the ZGiRLS outside of our weekly LIVE sessions with a secure place for them to connect with each other and a ZGiRLS Mentor. (pg. 11) Confidence Kit: We send a kit home directly to YOUR ZGiRL with
all the materials they need, plus they're FUN! (pg. 12) ZGiRLS Sisterhood Pact: Read this out loud and embrace the
Sisterhood.
ZGiRLS SIST
ZGiRLS is a 501c(3) non-profit founded by Olympic & NCAA female athletes that combines the proven scientific methods of building confidence with the real-life experiences of professional female athletes. We aim to uplift girls (ages 11 - 16) with the necessary mental tools and perspective to foster their own confidence and step into their courage.
MOST GIRLS STRUGGLE WITH SELF-DOUBT. 8 in 10 girls don’t think they’re good enough. The unfortunate fact is that a girl's confidence plummets during puberty. Their minds are filled with self-doubt and negative thoughts like "I'm not good enough" or "I'm never going to win." ZGiRLS is here to change this!
At ZGiRLS, we teach tangible mental skills that help girls build confidence (for life!) so they can always trust their inner voice, step forward with courage and live with ZERO LIMITATIONS! pg. 1
ENERGY
STR EN GT H
SP OR TS
ING NG LO BE
ERHOOD ZGiRLS VALUES
ES G N LE L A CH
TEAM
ENERGY - ZGiRLS is a VERB, it is an energetic and optimistic way of being. SPORTS - ZGiRLS recognizes sports as a powerful tool to develop confident and resilient individuals. BELONGING - ZGiRLS is proactively inclusive across all perceived barriers. STRENGTH - ZGiRLS promotes strong personal growth that works toward mental, emotional, and physical well-being. CHALLENGES - ZGiRLS embraces challenges as opportunities for growth and development. TEAM - ZGiRLS believes that together we are stronger as a team. pg. 2
TEAMWORK STAFF
pg. 3
Jilyne Jarvis
Monique Thees
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Director of Programs and Fun
Victoria Lesce
JoDee Disney
Gifts and Relationships Officer
Strategic Partnerships and Outreach Manager
CHAMPIONS MEET OUR PROS Kacey Bellamy
Jazmine Fray
Laurenne Ross
Professional + Olympic Hockey
Professional Running
Professional + Olympic Skiing
Kaylin Richardson
Natasha Hastings
AJ Andrews
Professional + Olympic Skiing
Professional + Olympic Running
Professional Softball
pg. 4
FALL SEASON WEEKLY SCHEDULE The ZGiRLS team will be LIVE with your girls on Wednesdays from 4:00 - 5:00 pm PST
Session 1 : October 6, 2021 Session 2 : October 13, 2021 Session 3 : October 20, 2021 Session 4 : October 27, 2021 Session 5 : November 3, 2021 Session 6 : November 10, 2021 W
EDNESDA Y
pg. 5
FALL SEASON ZGiRLS Curriculum™
Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is paying attention in the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness is a skill we can use to learn to train our attention to be where we want it to be when we need it to be there. Part of being mindful includes noticing our thoughts, feelings, and emotions as they come and letting them go. This also means learning not to judge our thoughts, feelings, or emotions as good or bad.
Communication & Conflict Resolution:
Communication isn’t just talking. Talking alone wouldn’t be considered communicating. Communication also involves actively listening. Who hasn’t ever spread or been a part of a rumor? Unfortunately, we all have probably been involved with false information in some way shape, or form. In order to stop rumors from spreading, and feelings getting hurt, we talked about the importance of giving each girl the benefit of the doubt.
Find Your Inner Strength:
Inner strength has the ability to make your daughter feel powerful and prepared, but also has the ability to make her feel weak and small. If your daughter gets beat in a race, you don’t want her to stop racing, do you? No way! You want her to reevaluate what she’s doing, and think about how she can get stronger and faster...and get back on track to try again! The goal is to maximize what makes your daughter feel Powerful and Prepared and eliminate what makes her feel weak and small.
Stress & Anxiety:
Not all stress is equal. Various things may stress people out in different ways. Stress is a normal part of life, especially when learning new things and working to achieve goals. Your daughter may experience stress when she really cares about something. Those feelings can feel overwhelming and interfere with school, sport, relationships, or other areas of your life. The goal is to give her tools to recognize and manage those feelings of stress in an effective way.
Confidence:
Most of us, at some point in our lives, have felt intimidated or anxious about something, but we summoned courage and did it despite any fear that we felt. For your daughter to summon her courage and step into her confidence we will teach her the GOFAR method. This will teach her to give it her best shot, opt for the positive, focus on what she can control and MORE!
Self-Compassion:
It's easy to get stuck and sit with feelings of stress, frustration, and self-criticism when things don't go your way or as planned. We encourage your girls to talk to themselves like someone they love and this stems from self-compassion. We want to encourage them to understand themselves and opt for positive self-talk when they face challenges. pg. 6
SECURE ONLINE PLATFORM Every week on Tuesday you will receive an email with the Crowdcast link for that week's session. The link will be sent to the email you registered for your child. Please check your registration information to make sure her email is correct. If you DO NOT receive an email please check your junk folder, then contact the ZGiRLS team. Reach out to monique@zgirl.org or jodee@zgirls.org for assistance. If you can't make the session at 4:00 p.m. PST, that is okay! Each session is recorded and the girls will have unlimited access to it. You will be able to use that same link to watch the recorded session whenever is convenient for you. You will also receive an email from Crowdcast 10 minutes prior to the live event on Wednesdays! Here is the schedule for the Fall Season:
Session 1: October 6th @ 4 p.m. PST - Mindfulness Session 2: October 13th @ 4 p.m. PST - Communication & Conflict Resolution Session 3: October 20th @ 4 p.m. PST - Inner Strength Session 4: October 27th @ 4 p.m. PST - Stress & Anxiety Session 5: November 3rd @ 4 p.m. PST - Confidence Session 6: November 10th @ 4 p.m. PST - Self-Compassion If you’re new, please try logging into Crowdcast today with this LINK, that way you'll be 100% prepared when the first event goes LIVE on Wednesday, October 6, 2021.
ST LIVE BROADCA
pg. 7
You can access Crowdcast on any device: Desktop - we recommend using Google Chrome Tablet - (Download the app) Phone (Download the app)
SUPPORT PARENT PLAYBOOK Our Parent Playbook was designed just for YOU. We want your ZGiRLS and their confidence to have unlimited support. Our playbook summarizes what the girls learn, lets you know why the topic is important, provides conversation starters for you to try out with your girls, and lets you in on the skills they have been given to try at home. You will receive a brand new Parent Playbook each week after the girls have completed their LIVE session with the ZGiRLS team and the guest speakers. Your ZGiRLS' confidence thrives when she is supported in all aspects of her life. Challenge yourself to read the playbooks every week to be a part of her journey.
pg. 8
SKILLS CHALLENGES At the end of each LIVE session, we will give your ZGiRL a Challenge (tangible confidencebuilding skill) to work on at home. Just like a coach tells their players to go home and work on a specific skills to master their sport, we send these home so your ZGiRL can master her CONFIDENCE. Parents: We encourage you to try these challenges at home too, it doesn't matter what age you are, it's a never-ending journey.
Challenge 1: Mindfulness Your challenge from now until the next session is to think about your wild animal next time you’re having an emotionally charged moment and think of a method you can use to tame it when it presents itself. What is a situation you felt very distracted or overwhelmed? How do you feel when you’re 100% focused? Name a situation when you want to be hyper-focused (undistracted or prepared)? Once you’ve completed the questions, work through the adlib that was provided to you in your Confidence Kit. Create one for yourself and ask your daughter what they came up with.
Challenge 2: Communication & Conflict Resolution Your challenge from now until the next session is to notice how you communicate with your teammates, coaches, and family/friends. Journal (proved in Confidence Kit) and reflect on how you think you communicate with those people. Here are some prompts to journal about when reflecting on how YOU confidently communicate? Do you use “I feel ___ when __” Are you actively listening wholeheartedly or are you going through the motions? How does it feel when someone is not actively listening to you when you’re sharing? What is an area of communication that I can improve on? What is an area of communication that I am really good at?
Challenge 3: Inner Strength Celebrate failures - Think back to one failure, or one setback you have experienced. Celebrate that mistake, because it ultimately leads you to where and who you are today. We wouldn’t be us without our failures for more perspective. Think about what lessons you learned from that specific failure and why you are grateful for that failure or setback? Write it down on a sticky note and put it in your trophy, really celebrate it!!! pg. 9
Challenge 4: Stress & Anxiety Write down 3 stress-reducing strategies you can use when you’re feeling stressed (look to other cues in your body and/or the activities on the top of your meter). Practice these strategies this week! Bonus: we added some stress-reducing items in your Confidence Kit to help you get started, maybe it's on your list.
Challenge 5: Confidence Always give yourself credit. We want you to commit to writing down 1-2 things a day during the week that you’ve accomplished. When you write down what you’ve accomplished, say how it made you feel. Always give yourself credit and revisit these things when you’re feeling down. This is evidence that shows you you can do AMAZING things!
Challenge 6: Self Compassion Write down YOUR positive affirmation and tape it up somewhere where you can see it EVERY DAY! Whether you tape it on your ceiling above your bed, on a bathroom mirror, or wherever you choose to put it...read it, say it, and believe it every single day. This affirmation is for YOU, not your mom, dad, grandma or cat, just YOU.
WIN PRIZES for completed Challenges Your daughter has the opportunity to win a PRIZE each week for completing her CHALLENGE! Each week when she has completed her challenge she can email a picture or video of her completed challenge to challenge@zgirls.org. When she submits her challenge she will be entered into a drawing to win a prize. Reminder, these challenges are fun ways for your daughter to practice her confidence-building skills. We hope that she will continue to use these skills throughout her life.
pg. 10
COMMUNITY SQUAD (PEER GROUP)
In an effort to create community and lifelong friendships at ZGiRLS, we will be offering peer groups called SQUADS to our ZGiRLS. These groups will simply be used to get to know one other in a more casual setting in addition to our weekly programming. This is a safe space for your ZGiRL to be themselves, have fun, and get to know each other and a ZGiRL Mentor! SQUADS ARE OPTIONAL, PLEASE OPT IN TO PARTICIPATE IF YOU THINK YOUR ZGiRL WOULD ENJOY!
PURPOSE: To foster relationships with like-minded girls nationwide, build a supportive community, and have FUN! WHO: Each squad will consist of 5-10 ZGiRLS and a ZGiRL Mentor. We want to make sure the conversations are encouraging, inclusive, and fun so the ZGiRLS Mentor will be present to help assist with this. WHAT: The girls will be split into SQUADS with a ZGiRLS Mentor. The mentor will reach out to the squads in a platform called GroupMe. These groups will use this platform to connect throughout the 6 weeks of the program. WHEN: The mentor will message their SQUAD sometime after the first LIVE session on October 6, 2021. The girls can jump into the group whenever they like during the week to read and send messages to connect with their fellow ZGiRL peers and mentor. There is no required time they need to be in the group. HOW: The ZGiRLS staff will create the SQUADS and send you an invite from the platform GroupMe. You will then need to create an account (please see the instructions listed below). PLATFORM: We are using a platform called GroupMe. We asked for the primary's parent email because, with this platform, you will need to register your ZGiRL with YOUR information. This platform is free of charge and available on desktop or mobile. 1. Download GroupMe and open the app. 2. Enter your Microsoft Account details, email address, Apple Account details, or Facebook details, then select Continue. 3. Enter your name, set an avatar (profile picture), and create a password. a. Even though it's YOUR account, please enter your daughter's name and picture with her avatar profile. 4. Check the box to indicate that you agree to the Terms of Service. 5. Check the box if you want to sync your contacts to GroupMe (if asked), then select Continue. 6. Enter your phone number and then select Get PIN. We will send you a text message containing a PIN. 7. Enter the PIN we sent to your phone into the app and select Continue. We will take you through a brief tutorial to get you started. pg. 11
FUN!!! CONFIDENCE KIT Our CONFIDENCE Kits are designed to build community and provide your ZGiRL with all the materials they need for the season, plus a little FUN!!! The Kits will ship the week of October 4-8th with the address you supplied in registration. What to expect in your Confidence KIT this Fall Season and how to use your items: MINDFULNESS: Sometimes our minds can be wild and crazy like an animal, use this mindfulness ADLIB to work on training your brain to be in the present. COMMUNICATION: You constantly communicate with people throughout your day. Journal and reflect on how you think you communicate with those people. Also, use your journal for our weekly lessons and school work if you want! INNER STRENGTH: We tend to shy away from failure, but we want YOU to lean in and acknowledge one failure, mistake, or setback and celebrate it. Write it down on your sticky note and put it in your trophy on display. Failures are a part of your journey to success + confidence. STRESS: We want YOU to take control of your stress; you don't have to sit with that feeling forever. There are many ways to bust your stress, we've included a few in your Stress Kit to get started. Reduce your stress with a calming face mask, essential oil and a soothing ZGiRLS playlist to get started. CONFIDENCE: Always give yourself credit. We want you to commit to writing down 1-2 things a day in your journal during the week that you’ve accomplished. When you write down what you’ve accomplished, say how it made you feel. Always give yourself credit and revisit these things when you’re feeling down. This is evidence that shows you you can do AMAZING things! SELF-COMPASSION: Self-compassion starts by providing yourself patience, acceptance, and care instead of being self-critical and focusing on your flaws. Use your Mindset Mantra cards daily to boost your self-esteem. Read it to yourself or say it out loud to bring positivity and light into your day.
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SiSTERHOOD PACT I am a ZGiRL I have ZERO limitations
I am confident I am courageous I am resilient
I can do anything I put my mind to I value my body for what it allows me to do I fuel my body because it is a vehicle to do amazing things
I accept myself as I am I believe in the person I am becoming I may not be there YET, but I am closer than I was yesterday I can’t always choose my circumstance, but I CAN choose how I react to them
When I fall, I get back up When I make a mistake, I learn from it When I feel fearful, I step forward bravely When I doubt myself, I choose confidence
Individually we are unique, and together we are STRONG We choose collaboration over comparison We choose love over jealousy
Our beam attracts our team We are adventurous We are bold We are brave We are ZGiRLS