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Mission and Programs

Mission

Hardy Girls works with communities and with girls themselves to change the environment in which girls are developing.

We aren''t focused on fixing a problem with girls but on the world they are experiencing. We see and imagine the best girls can be, we create fun and challenging spaces for them to realize their strengths and talents and we engage the community in that process.

Hardy Girls'' work is based on research that shows girls going through adolescence lose the strong voices that were natural to them in their early years. As girls reach adolescence the difference between the images they see of women in the media and the image they have of themselves causes them to turn their anger and confusion inward. While boys "act out", girls "act in", causing them to engage in at-risk, destructive behavior damaging their bodies and their minds.

Our vision is that all girls and women experience equality, independence and safety in their everyday lives.

Programs

Hardy Girls provides both direct service programs for girls and programs to raise awareness and to educate the community.

Direct service programs include:

*Our annual Girls Unlimited! Conference for 5th to 8th grade girls which provides an opportunity for girls to explore vocational and avocational interests and to explore and celebrate what it means to be a girl. The conference last spring was Media Makeover: Changing the Face of Art.

*Adventure Girls for girls in 2nd-6th grade, which brings them together with women of daring who are defying gender stereotypes by following their dreams of race-car driving, playing rugby, etc.

*We facilitate 10 girls ally building groups in four area middle schools. The groups are designed to help girls relate positive ways to one another and to counteract the girlfighting media stereotypes to which they are exposed 24/7.

Each year we host a number of community activities aimed at providing information and discussion time for developing strategies to help girls and boys to develop in healthy ways. This year we hosted six movie/discussion events with Boys to Men. The movies focused on harmful media messages both girls and boys receive and the discussion dealt with ways teens and adults who care about them can work to change those messages.

In the fall we hosted a conference attended by over 225 people from around Maine and New England and from across the country. Beyond Bullying: Strategies that Work presented strategies to prevent girlfighting, and combat cyberbullying, harassment and bullying based on gender, race and sexual orientation.

In addition to our programs, we operate a resource center and lending library of books, videos, magazines and curricular material; publish a newsletter three times per year; and, host a website full of information and resources helpful for those interested in girls' healthy development.

The organization has two full-time and one part-time staff and an Americorps*VISTA and several interns. We rely heavily on volunteers to get our work accomplished.

Program / Activities (NTEE Code)

Girls Clubs
Civil Rights, Social Action, and Advocacy N.E.C.
Community Improvement, Capacity Building N.E.C.

Accomplishments for Fiscal Year Ending 06/30/2008

1. Hosted an AMERICORPS*VISTA who worked with organizations and volunteers in Washington and Piscataquis counties to create hardiness zones in each county.
2. Created a national advisory board to help assure the board is on track in developing a relevant to the lives of girls of all races and religions.
3. Finalized plans for a training institute to expand the reach of Hardy Girls' programming theory without having to start branches around the country.

1. Develop the marketing plan for the training institute and our Ugly Ducklings Community Action Kit and our Adversaries to Allies curriculum.
2. Develop plans for launching The Year of the Real Girl in 2010.
3. Create a Girls Rock Annual Award Event to honor girls working for social change.

Hardy Girls tracks its effectiveness through: bi-annual strategic planning retreats; program participants' evaluations; feedback from the newsletter and website; growth in the number of contributors and money raised.

Chief Executive Profile

Megan Williams first began working at Hardy Girls as an intern during her junior year at Colby College. A student of Dr. Lyn Mikel Brown, Megan became involved with the research on which Dr. Brown was working and began volunteering her time at the Hardy Girls' resource center. After graduation, Megan became an Americorps VISTA volunteer which allowed Hardy Girls to open the center 40 hours a week. After her VISTA service ended, Megan became the organization's first full-time employee as its executive director. Under her leadership, the organization has grown to 4 employees along with a VISTA Volunteer, added a national advisory committee, and earned a national reputation as one of the few organizations working with girls based on their strengths, not their weaknesses.

Additional Comments

The documentary film Ugly Ducklings Hardy Girls made this past year has been accepted into a number of film festivals in this country and in Europe!

The co-creators of Hardy Girls Healthy Women were named Women of the Year by the local Business and Professional Women's Association for their work to raise awareness of the issues facing girls and their work to engage the community in the effort to make a difference for girls.

Financial Data
From the organization's FORM 990

Revenue and Expenses: Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2007

Revenue			Expenses
Contributions $0 Government Grants $0 Program Services $0 Investments $0 Special Events $0 Sales $0 Other $0			Program Services $90,502 Administration $46,812 Other $39,170 Total Expenditures $176,484
Total Revenue	$269,636		NET GAIN/LOSS	$0

Balance Sheet: Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2007

Notes
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot long survive, but the types of assets and liabilities also must be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Assets	Jul 1, 2006	Jun 30, 2007	Change
Cash & Equivalent	$56,523	$146,411	$89,888
Accounts Receivable	$0	$0	$0
Pledges & Grants Receivable	$0	$0	$0
Receivables/Other	$0	$0	$0
Inventories for Sale or Use	$0	$0	$0
Investments/Securities	$575	$2,097	$1,522
Investments/Other	$0	$0	$0
Fixed Assets	$1,421	$3,034	$1,613
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Assets	$58,519	$151,542	$93,023
Liabilities	Jul 1, 2006	Jun 30, 2007	Change
Accounts Payable	$0	$0	$0
Grants Payable	$0	$0	$0
Deferred Revenue	$0	$0	$0
Loans and Notes	$0	$0	$0
Tax-Exempt Bond Liabilities	$0	$0	$0
Other	$0	$0	$0
Total Liabilities	$893	$1,963	$1,070
FUND BALANCE	$0	$0	$0

Comments from the organization
Our budget is not big enough to require an audit. Our 990 is prepared by our treasurer, a CPA, and it's available on request and on GuideStar.

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