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Rylee Barnsdale’s Feature Article: Ypsi nonprofit uses physical activity to help girls build life skills

Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run Southeastern Michigan

Transcription:

Rylee Barnsdale: You’re listening to 89 one WEMU. I’m Rylee Barnsdale, and this is On the Ground Ypsi. Founded in 2001, the nonprofit Girls on the Run Southeast Michigan has provided high-quality, research-backed programming that blends physical activity with life skill development for over 24,000 girls in Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe and Washtenaw Counties. With nine locations right here in Ypsi, Girls on the Run aims to help participants realize their limitless potential and boldly pursue their dreams. With me today is Cheri Cottrell, the Girls on the Run site leader for Estabrook Elementary School, to tell us about what this program looks like and, more importantly, what it means to the students that it serves. Hi, Cheri! Thanks so much for being here today!

Cheri Cottrell: Hi! Thank you so much for having me! I’m very excited to share about this program!

Rylee Barnsdale: So, this was actually my introduction to Girls on the Run as an organization. And it isn’t your average afterschool running club, is it? Can you give us just a brief kind of introduction to what the program is and looks like?

Cheri Cottrell: Sure! So, I also, like you, had not really heard of Girls on the Run. And of course, in the name is “run.” So, you think that it’s a running program, and there is a 5K at the end of the year–or at the end of the season, excuse me–and there also is a physical element to it. But the idea of the program is not just a running club. It’s more about solidifying these life skills and these coping skills and just like how to deal with being a person in these days, but then combining that with physical activity because that’s how most people can learn really well. We do practice for that 5K, but girls can move at any pace. So, there are girls who walk the whole thing. There are girls who run some of it. I personally am not a runner, but it’s not just about running. It is about running, but it also is more about self-confidence and just helping them to be the best person that they can be.

Rylee Barnsdale: So, kind of going off of that idea, what are these girls doing when they aren’t running? What is the rest of the curriculum look like for these students that are participating?

Cheri Cottrell: Sure. So, the girls, after school, they come into a main space, and they have a healthy snack, which Girls in the Run provides, which is really, really great. So, they have a snack, and they have a little bit of downtime. Some of them do their homework. We’re lucky enough that we have our library that houses our program, so the girls can just be in a nice cozy space. After they have a little bit of mealtime, we group together and we have a lesson. So, last year, our curriculum was–I’m pretty sure it’s called “Activating your Star Potential.” This year, they’re doing a new curriculum called “Mountain Movers.” And so, there’s detailed lessons. And so, you go through in each lesson. The timing depends on how much time we’re working on our physical activity. But a lot of times, the lesson is integrated into the physical activity. So, if we’re doing laps, there’s some sort of activity that’s concreting the social/emotional learning aspect that we’re doing. So, we do kind of direct instruction, and that involves doing whole group activities, one-on-one breakouts, and then, after that curriculum, then we do our stretches, we do our exercise and we build our way. And then, one thing I want to do comment on that I always forget about is they do a community project every year.

Rylee Barnsdale: Okay.

Cheri Cottrell: So, at the end of every season, they pick something that they want to do to serve their community. At Estabrook, we’re a little limited, because we have to do it within our school community. But generally, the girls choose a project like cleaning up the playground or helping the custodians by cleaning the cafeteria or making cards for staff members who are sick or for their family members who are sick. So also, there’s a really big focus on community and what we can do to serve each other and be there for each other too.

Rylee Barnsdale: And with all of these moving parts, too, and we kind of talked a little bit about how this kind of program differs from, say, a more traditional afterschool sport in a lot of these kinds of ways, but why would you want to encourage students to maybe try out Girls on the Run instead of one of these other afterschool programs or maybe in tandem with one of these afterschool programs?

Cheri Cottrell: Yeah. I think the biggest piece of it is that, in a lot of athletics, that there’s a lot of focus on competition and there’s a lot of focus on winning and being the best and beating each other.

Rylee Barnsdale: Sure.

Britt Hueter

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Concentrate Media

Cheri Cottrell: And it’s not competitive at all. The whole idea is that everyone is going to finish. Everyone’s going to get through the program together. Everyone finishes the 5K, and they always do it together. So, I think it might be appealing to girls who maybe feel–and not just girls, people–who might feel intimidated by being in that general athletics setting. I also think that it is helpful for girls that maybe have body issues or are self-conscious. I know, for example, when I was a kid, I was very scared of physical movement. It just like that really intimidated me. And I’ve noticed there have been a couple of girls who have I would not have seemed to be like athletes or someone who has wanted to do that, but in a setting that’s a little bit more low key. And I do want to talk about our coaches. We have incredible coaches that volunteer with us every week. And I think that, honestly, that’s a big part of it too, is like girls who might just want a mentor or want a person in their life that, of course, to talk about running and exercising and moving our bodies, but just to have a person to bounce off of and to have someone to look up to and have a healthy role model. I’m not sure if the other programs have a lot of representation in their coaches. We have a lot of really amazing coaches!

Rylee Barnsdale: Speaking of the coaches, this being a nonprofit, Girls on the Run, all of these coaches and folks that are working with directly with these students, these are all volunteers. These are folks that really just care about the community that they’re serving. Is that, do you think, what the main draw to this volunteer opportunity is for these folks, or is there something more to that?

Cheri Cottrell: Yeah, I think it’s just a program that just draws people. So, when I first started doing it, I went to one of the 5Ks at the school. And then, after I saw that event, I was hooked! It’s just something that feels really good to be with a group of kids that you’re on the same mission. And so, I feel like a lot of our volunteers are generally looking for something that they can give back to, like kids who look like them and kids within their community. And so, a lot of our coaches either went to Estabrook as students or have children that go to Estabrook as students. Our staff members–we are very grateful that we have a lot of our staff members that are coaches as well, which allows them to enhance their educational experience. Like, it just makes the school day better for those girls as well. Yeah, I think it just, and I could be wrong, but I feel like it’s probably one of the most fun places that you could volunteer because you get to have snacks and exercise and listen to music and like hang out with a bunch of kids who think you’re awesome. And then you get to have a community project where you get to serve your community and then you get to have a big celebration where all these people from all over the state get to come. I feel like that’s what probably one of the most fun volunteer opportunities there are. But I do want to note that it is not just all fun. You know, I do appreciate the dedication that the coaches give because we could not do that without them. We would not be able to have the program without them. And a lot of them give more than just their little bit of time at the practices too. A lot of them are making T-shirts and doing other things. So, if any of them are listening, thank you so much! And I really appreciate you!

Britt Hueter

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Concentrate Media

Rylee Barnsdale: And with you as the site leader, you are not just the site leader here at Estabrook. You are also a teacher, a current teacher, at Estabrook. And I’m kind of curious how those worlds kind of collide for you, as does having the additional responsibility, maybe, make one thing a little bit more challenging or do they kind of uplift one another?

Cheri Cottrell: Yeah. So, I appreciate you bring that up. So, I teach a self-contained classroom that’s labeled moderate cognitive impairment, but most of my students are autistic or have Down syndrome or cerebral palsy. And a lot of my students are non-speaking or nontraditional communicators. So, the way that I teach them is completely different than the way that I would coach or teach a Girls to Run lesson just because of the aspect of students that are speaking and non-speaking. But coaching Girls on the Run has absolutely made me a better teacher and made me more confident. And the way that I teach, I feel like has allowed me to apply the Girls in the Run curriculum in a special, unique way. It’s really cool because now a lot of the girls that were in the program or have been in the program come and volunteer in my classroom. Like, they know my students by their name, you know? They just are more interested in it because they didn’t really know. A lot of times there are girls that I met for the first time through Girls on the Run, and they want to ask me about my students and what it’s like to be their teacher and just what it’s like just for their school life. And so, that’s really cool too! I feel like it opens up that communication, and it just brings that awareness. And I feel like our school community is even closer knit. And to me, it doesn’t feel like it takes away or it’s too much. I feel like it enhances. And I feel like having that hopefully the girls feel this way too, having that physical outlet, knowing that, twice a week, I’m going to get to have that space. I’m going to get to have that time. There is going to be joy, There’s going to be laughter. I feel like that helps me get through my teaching week too. So, I’m hopeful that the girls feel that way as well.

Rylee Barnsdale: This is WEMU’s On the Ground Ypsi. I’m talking with Cheri Cottrell, the Girls on the Run site leader for Estabrook Elementary. I think one of the really wonderful things that this program offers to the Estabrook community is this kind of overall sense of pride and accomplishment in the community that you’re a part of. And you’ve mentioned a couple of other pieces to that. And I’m curious how having a program like Girls On the Run here at Estabrook, what does that mean for the greater Ypsilanti community as well?

Cheri Cottrell: Yeah, I think that the biggest thing, through this program, is that our girls and our students that are participating are leaving just feeling more confident in themselves as people. I think they’re leaving with more empathy, more understanding of what other people are going through, a better understanding of how to have good relationships and how to resolve conflict and all these things that our community needs. You know, unfortunately, it’s a very divided time. There’s a lot of…I think we talked about too hateful rhetoric that goes around. And I think that the more that these girls are coming out of this program, they’re equipped with these tools that are serving them to deal with the society. But then also, that ripples, because then the people in their lives are seeing it–and not just the students, their families. There are families that are volunteering. Their families are involved. So, it’s definitely a ripple effect. I think that the positive impact on the community, I think, is one of the most beautiful parts.

Rylee Barnsdale: There are folks who are listening right now that are hearing about the work you’re doing with Girls on the Run over at Estabrook, and think, “Oh, this is something I feel like I could be really good at, and I really want to give back to my community in this way.” How would folks go about finding those opportunities?

Cheri Cottrell: Yeah. So, there are sites all over southeastern Michigan. So, what I would say is go to g-o-t-r-s-e-m-i–so Girls on the Run SEMI, southeastern Michigan. And that is where you can apply to coach. There are also other volunteer opportunities if you want to build curriculum bags, if you want to volunteer at their 5k, if you want to be someone ringing the bell as the girls finish the finish line. But I would start by applying there. But there are sites all over this area. And we sometimes have seasons in the fall and the spring, so there are definitely opportunities.

Rylee Barnsdale: Well, Cheri, thank you so much for being here today. The weather maybe isn’t the best for running right now. So, I’m sure that you and your students are just itching for the sunnier days to get back out on the track and get into this new season–the Girls on the Run season–that’s coming up!

Cheri Cottrell: Yeah! We’re very, very excited! Thank you so much!

Rylee Barnsdale: For more information on today’s topic and links to the full article, visit our web site at wemu.org. On the Ground Ypsi is brought to you in partnership with Concentrate Media. I’m Rylee Barnsdale, and this is your community NPR station, 89 one WEMU FM Ypsilanti. Celebrating 60 years of broadcasting at Eastern Michigan University!

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