Open House Frequently Asked Questions
By G3
Published: April 10, 2008
What is a GoGirlGo! “Supporting Program” and what is the target audience?
· Any organization that serves girls, makes a commitment to promote GoGirlGo!
Week, and offers at least one annual free Open House physical activity program for
beginner girls in the 8- to 18-year-old age range may participate as a GoGirlGo!
Supporting Program. These Open Houses should be focused on welcoming sedentary
girls and ensuring that they have a success experience, make new friends and
hopefully come back to your program to be part of GoGirlGo!
Who can become a GoGirlGo! Supporting Program?
Any girl-serving organization (schools, recreation centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, YWCA,
park programs, nonprofit organizations, etc.) may request to become a GoGirlGo!
Supporting Program. Simply complete the Registration form and conduct one or more free
Open House programs for girls aged 8 to 18. Please identify on the registration form how
many girls you will be hosting that are currently not registered as well as those that are
registered in your physical activity program.
The purpose of the Open House program is to encourage inactive girls or girls not familiar
with the physical activities you offer to try a physical activity and, hopefully, to continue
to participate in your organization’s physical activity program offerings after experiencing
the Open House activity.
Why conduct a GoGirlGo! Open House?
Most girls who are inactive are not confident about their physical skills. They don’t think
they can have fun or be successful in sports or physical activity settings. An Open
House is a special effort by a girl-serving organization to identify inactive girls and
encourage them to come to a place that wants them and assures them that the physical
activity experience they will try requires no skill, is easy and will be a fun and
rewarding experience!
Girls who are sedentary are at greater health risk than girls who play sports or engage
in other physical activities. Girl-serving organizations care about all girls, not just those
who are physically talented. They want to help sedentary girls become healthier by
getting them moving.
Does the Open House Kit cost anything? What is in the Kit?
No! It's free! Each hosting organization must agree not to charge anything for it's event.
Each Open House Kit Includes:
Banner. An official 3’ x 5’ banner to hang in your facility or activity area that indicates
that this is a “GoGirlGo! Supporting Program” and all girls are welcome.
Promotional Flyer. A flyer you can fill in and post in your facility (targeted to girls)
or copy to distribute to prospective open house participants that lists the date, time
and nature of your open house activities and declares that all girls are welcome for fun
beginner activities. Also available as downloadable PDFs on GoGirlGo.com and as a
printable documents from the CD-ROM included in the Kit. Several versions of the flyer
are included. You may use the version that makes the most sense for your target
audience. The flyers are formatted as Word documents so you may adapt them to
your needs.
Fun Stuff. Your kit includes fun little gifts for all participants.
GoGirlGo! Brochures. Brochures that describe how parents, coaches and other
interested adults in your program can participate in the campaign to get girls moving.
GoGirlGo! Sample Educational Program Lessons. A sample of three lessons will
be provided (including the program leader facilitation materials and corresponding
lessons for the girls to read interactively). These lessons are from the 2006
National Health Information Award-winning, curriculum-based educational program
created for girls, coaches and parents to reinforce positive behaviors and educate
girls about the dangers of inactivity and negative habits that affect health. The
materials will be provided by the Women’s Sports Foundation to girl-serving
organizations participating in GoGirlGo! Open Houses.
GoGirlGo! Curriculum Order Form. The entire curriculum is also available
immediately online at GoGirlGo.com or the booklets can be ordered by completing
the curriculum order form. Please allow 6 weeks for delivery. The 8-to 12-year-old
curriculum set includes 12 Guides to Life, 12 Scrapbooks, 12 Parent’s Guides
(specify English or Spanish) and 1 program Leaders Guide. The 13- to 18-year-old
curriculum set includes 1 Program Leader’s Guide, 12 Parent’s Guides,
12 Ambassador program brochures. Forty-two lessons can be downloaded from the
Internet on a variety of topics at GoGirlGo.com.
GoGirlGo! Ambassador Program. Materials for high school-aged girls to
become physically active leaders in their neighborhoods. Ambassadors are eligible
to win individual scholarships and grants for their sports programs.
GoGirlGo! Membership Brochures and GoGirl News Newsletter. Every girl
receives a free issue of GoGirl News, the Women's Sports Foundation’s quarterly
youth newsletter. Membership brochures are included, so that the girls can be
registered as members of the Women’s Sports Foundation and receive GoGirl News
mailed to their homes.
CD-ROM Disk & Web only elements: Each Supporting Program receives a CD-ROM
filled with GoGirlGo! materials to print and distribute. Several program pieces are available
only as downloadable PDFs on GoGirlGo.com and as printable documents from the
CD-ROM included in the Kit:
Participant Certificate. Every girl receives a “GoGirlGo! Participation Award”
certificate saluting her commitment to being healthy and physically active.
GoGirlGo! Tips. Reproducible handouts for girls of tips on getting started in a
physical activity and taking care of your body.
Ice Breaker Activities. Suggestions for a five- to 10-minute opening activity
during which girls get to know each other.
Communication Tips. Suggestions about ways to get girls to talk about
themselves and what is important to them.
GoGirlGo! Open House Report Form. Your Open House Report enable us
to put participation numbers on the Internet immediately upon receipt of your report.
Fax to (773)539-2201.
GoGirlGo! Hang Tags. Make a statement by hanging an “I support
GoGirlGo! ” hang tags from your rearview window.
GoGirlGo! Name Tags. Every girl at the open house should have a nametag.
You can make your own or download/print out nametags that can be printed
on stick-on labels.
GoGirls Stickers. Fun stickers for girls that can be printed on stick-on labels.
What is the recommended format of a GoGirlGo! Open House?
Ice Breaker. A five- to 10-minute opening activity during which girls get to know each other.
The kit contains several suggestions about ways to get girls to talk about themselves and
what is important to them. Be sure that each girl gets a nametag (included on the CD).
GoGirlGo! Issue. A GoGirlGo! story about an issue important to girls that girls can
discuss. The story is read out loud by a girl and a peer leader leads discussion. An
adult leader can organize activities (included) around the story/issue discussed.
This generally takes about 30 minutes.
Easy Activity. The physical activity is up to you. Just be sure it is not competitive and
will not intimidate a beginner. For example, if you are a soccer league and usually only
do soccer competitions, you might want to offer a beginner-level basic skills clinic that
doesn’t involve any competition, maybe five or six “stations” where girls can try to dribble
a ball or kick a goal and where all the activity leaders practice positive coaching. The
activity should take 30-60 minutes.
Conclusion. Thank the girls for coming and let them know how they can become more
involved in your programs. Award participation certificates (included in this kit) and hand
out stickers (on the CD), GoGirlGo Tips (on the CD), GoGirl News (included in the kit),
and the fun gifts to each girl.
What are the characteristics of a great Open House program?
- Non-Competitive Cooperative Activities. If your program doesn’t currently have
non-competitive activities, this may be a good time to consider a walking club, a
cheerleading class, a yoga club or a stretching and exercise to music class.
- Nurturing Safe Environment. A nurturing, caring, positive and enthusiastic all-girl
environment. Remember that when boys are invited to observe or participate in activities
involving girls who are beginners, they tease and criticize girls’ bodies and give permission
for girls to criticize each other. Even when boys don’t tease or criticize, girls may feel
more intimidated to try something new in front of them. Make the Open House environment
safe from teasing and harassment. Review the communication tips included in this kit.
- Fun. Enlist patient leaders who make the activity fun, if you want a beginner to stay
involved – no drill sergeants or wind sprints!
- Respect for Differences. Adult or peer leaders need to demonstrate acceptance and
respect for girls of all sizes, shapes and skill levels. If peer leaders are conducting the
activity, adult leaders should review these important points with them.
- Continuing Program. If you are a high school or college team willing to give a clinic or
other physical activity program but can’t do it regularly, try to do it in conjunction with and
at the facility of an ongoing program – at the YWCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, or a girls’
program that meets regularly – so they can continue the activity you introduce. Or volunteer
to help recruit girls in your school or neighborhood to an existing physical activity program
sponsored by another organization close to where you live.
- More Fun. “Fun” is the most important reason that will keep a girl involved…be
encouraging and complimentary; laugh a lot!
Promotion Ideas
- Every kit contains materials to promote your Open House, including:
posters, a banner and flyers.
- First look at your own membership to see if there are girls who are not currently
participating in physical activity.
- You should ask currently active girls or members to each bring one inactive friend to
the Open House and to participate as an “Ambassador” or peer leader.
- It’s not how many girls come to an Open House, it’s about each girl feeling that she
is welcome, wanted and respected for who she is.
- Have high school girls already in your program design a great promotion and activity
and use it to apply for Ambassador grants and scholarships.
How do I get my Kit and get started?
· Complete the GoGirlGo! Supporting Program Open House Registration Form as soon
as you know the date, time and place of your GoGirlGo! Open House. We will be posting
the registration form soon.