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LAS Extended Studies

SMART-GIRL
Photograph of young woman
Become a guide, or start a program in your community!

Smart-Girl is a fun, activity-based program that empowers middle school girls to become confident, capable, self-reliant young women. The unique strength of the Smart-Girl program is utilizing the power of positive peer influence by pairing highly trained older teens and college women with groups of middle school girls. These leaders (called Guides) are carefully selected and trained mentors who facilitate discussions and activities amidst lots of glitter and giggles. Smart-Girl empowers girls to develop leadership ability, group and social skills, problem solving and critical thinking skills, self-worth, empowerment, and more. Topics such as peer pressure, bullying, refusal skills, communication, and body image will be addressed in a fun, safe and highly interactive environment. The overall goal is to  create a safe enviorneent in which girls can develop social/emotional intelligence, learn how to make healthy life choices, and have a BLAST in the process!

Sponsored by the WEST Program at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

UPCOMING COURSES AND REGISTRATION

Smart-Girl offers the Leadership Training Institute and Group Facilitation courses. Academic credit is available through the UCCS Extended Studies Program for both of these courses. To register for academic credit, please review the course options below, make a note of the appropriate 5-digit course Call Number(s), then go to the Extended Studies Registration Page and follow all steps outlined there. These steps will take you through the UCCS online registration and payment system. Please see the bulleted lists below for important additional information on each course type.

SMART-GIRL LEADERSHIP TRAINING INSTITUTE

  • 2 UCCS Credit Hours: $100 undergraduate (WEST 3900) or $150 graduate (SOC 501)
  • Colorado high school students registering online for the Leadership Training must also complete and submit the 2-page Colorado Statewide Agreement Form (mail to: University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, LAS Extended Studies, attn: Brian Glach, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918)
  • Complete and mail Leadership Training Institute registration form to Smart-Girl, Inc. (see page 2 for mailing address)
  • Non-academic-credit option; for details, contact Sameen DeBard at Smart-Girl, (720) 364-5973 or sdebard@smart-girl.org

Fall 2009 Sessions:

August 28-31, 2009
Schedule: 8/28, 3:00-8:00pm; 8/29-30, 8:00am-5:00pm; 8/31, 3:00-8:00pm
Location: University of Colorado at Colorado Springs campus, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO
WEST 3900 Call Number TBA
SOC 501 Call Number TBA

September 11-14, 2009
Schedule: 9/11, 3:00-8:00pm; 9/12-13, 8:00am-5:00pm; 9/14, 3:00-8:00pm
Location: University of Colorado at Denver campus, Denver, CO
WEST 3900 Call Number TBA
SOC 501 Call Number TBA

SMART-GIRL GROUP FACILITATION

  • 3 UCCS Credit Hours: $150 undergraduate (WEST 4900) or $225 graduate (SOC 501)
  • Colorado high school students registering online for the Group Facilitation must also complete and submit the 2-page Colorado Statewide Agreement Form (mail to: University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, LAS Extended Studies, attn: Brian Glach, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918)
  • Meeting schedule to be determined by student and instructor, over the course of the current semester
  • Non-academic-credit option; for details, contact Sameen DeBard at Smart-Girl, (720) 364-5973 or sdebard@smart-girl.org

Fall 2009:

August 24-December 19, 2009
WEST 4900 Call Number TBA
SOC 501 Call Number TBA

OTHER INFORMATION

The Smart-Girl Leadership Training has three (3) textbooks that are required reading for the course. ALL THREE BOOKS MUST BE READ COMPLETELY BEFORE THE FIRST CLASS MEETING. Books are available at the UCCS bookstore, or through Amazon.com. To place an order through the UCCS bookstore, call (719) 255-3247 locally or 1(800) 990-UCCS x3247 outside of Colorado Springs.

  • FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING POVERTY, Ruby K. Payne, 2001, aha! Process Inc. ISBN 1929229143
  • QUEEN BEES AND WANNABES: HELPING YOUR DAUGHTER SURVIVE CLIQUES, GOSSIP, BOYFRIENDS, AND OTHER REALITIES OF ADOLESCENCE, Rosalind Wiseman, 2003, Three Rivers Press. ISBN 1400047927
  • ODD GIRL OUT: THE HIDDEN CULTURE OF AGGRESSION IN GIRLS, Rachel Simmons, 2003, Harvest Books. ISBN 0156027348

There are, additionally, three (3) optional textbooks for recommended reading. These books are not required.

  • THE BULLY, THE BULLIED, AND THE BYSTANDER: FROM PRESCHOOL TO HIGH SCHOOL - HOW PARENTS AND TEACHERS CAN HELP BREAK THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE, Barbara Coloroso, 2004, Collins. ISBN 006001430X
  • REVIVING OPHELIA: SAVING THE SELVES OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS, Mary Pipher, 1995, Ballantine Books. ISBN 0345392825
  • EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: WHY IT CAN MATTER MORE THAN IQ, Daniel Goleman, 1997, Bantam Books. ISBN 0553375067

To request your official UCCS transcript at the end of your Smart-Girl course, please click on the "Check Grade/Order Transcript" link at the left, under the "Student Resources" section.