Only girls can tell us about the realities of their lives, goals, and experiences. We believe it is essential to understand how these, and other, forces shape both the experiences of girls and societal gender expectations. This study was designed to give voice to girls-their opinions, aspirations, and fears. We also wanted to know how gender stereotypes affect boys and how girls, boys, and adults view the stereotypes that confront girls and boys. It is our hope that these findings will spark and sustain a public dialogue about the issues girls face and ultimately influence parents, educators, and opinion and policy makers.

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Ice Savers Team in order from left to right: Collette Smith, Yajaira Diaz, Nayeli Almaraz, Stefany Gamez, and Alyshia Moore.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS WIN TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY
FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR

ARLINGTON, Texas, May 28, 2008 - Five young girls from Girls Inc. of Tarrant County have been selected as winners in the 2008 Girls Inc. Corporate CampSM for Entrepreneurs for the third consecutive year. The girls will travel to New York City July 13-18 for a unique six-day experience where they will have the opportunity to fuel their entrepreneurial spirits, showcase their talents and sharpen their leadership skills. This one-of-a-kind summer experience awards girls an exciting corporate adventure offering insight into the demanding business world and access to female professional role models.

"The girls worked extremely hard to develop a unique business and create the entire business plan," says Patrice Scott, Director of Community Based Programs for Girls Inc. of Tarrant County. "I was amazed to see how motivated they were and how much entrepreneurial spirit was in each of them."

The company, Ice Savers, is made up of five girls from Girls Inc. of Tarrant County: Collette Smith, Yajaira Diaz, Nayeli Almaraz, Stefany Gamez, and Alyshia Moore. The business idea is to create jewelry and other accessories from recyclable items to help save the polar bear habitats, reduce human waste and support the "Go Green" campaign.

While in New York, the girls attend business plan coaching sessions led by Goldman Sachs professionals, participate in skill-building workshops, and learn how to address the day-to-day concerns of starting and sustaining a business. To round out their experience, the girls also meet with female business owners throughout New York City to gain first-hand knowledge of the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. On the final day of Corporate Camp, the girls take their revised business plans and present them to executives of Goldman Sachs. They are then paired up with a few Sachs employees where they are able to ask more questions about the future of business, their roles within the company, or even general questions about New York and the big city life. To get the real New York experience, the girls spend a lot of time going to different businesses and meetings via the subway or walking. The trip focuses on business, but they do have a little downtime so they are able to visit some New York landmarks.

Selection of participants for the Corporate CampSM for Entrepreneurs is based on a nationwide competition in which girls at Girls Inc. affiliates are asked to develop their own original product or service and create a business plan.