Girls Inc. Community Program Refelections by Katelyn Walas

Week 1 Overview:

kwalas — 2025-07-11 11:42:40 UTC

We conducted four sessions at Girls Inc. with 7–8-year-old girls, focusing on social-emotional development and sensory regulation. Sessions 1 and 3 included stress balls, mood bracelets, and worry stones activities. Sessions 2 and 4 included yoga and a sensory jar activity.

Week 1 Thoughts & Feelings

kwalas — 2025-07-11 11:43:38 UTC

During the first couple of sessions, I was excited but a bit nervous. I worked on improving the messaging behind activities, like the mood bracelets, to help the girls understand their purpose better. As we bonded more, I felt confident that our group was creating a positive and supportive space for the girls.

Week 1 - What Went Well Personally:

kwalas — 2025-07-11 11:43:47 UTC

Day 1: We made friendship bracelets, stress balls, and worry stones. My friendship bracelet activity went smoothly, and the girls were engaged.

Day 2: For the sensory jars, my group went well because I had set clear guidelines on how many materials to use, which kept things neat and visually appealing.

Days 3 and 4 went well collectively, as we made adjustments beforehand, and the girls were engaged and eager to participate.

Week 1: What Didn’t Go as Planned

kwalas — 2025-07-12 18:07:39 UTC

Day 1: Walking in, we expected to have tables and chairs to use during our sessions. After finding out "tables are rare to come by this summer," we adapted quickly and each claimed a corner on the floor for our activity stations. We also had some challenges with the stress balls creating a mess, and the messaging for the bracelet activity needed some refinement. Many girls were taking a long time to pick out their stone to paint, which was an ineffective use of time. There was also an incident with a worry stone and stress ball being thrown, which became a safety concern.

Day 2: Although yoga went well overall, we realized afterward that a brief stretch or movement warm-up before starting would help the girls focus better and ease into it. With the sensory jars, the main issue in the other groups was that many of the girls wanted to add every single color of glitter and sequins, which made the jars look less appealing and hard to see through. This led to some disappointment because they wanted to redo their jars, but time constraints and fairness meant that wasn't possible. In my group, we addressed this by setting those limits from the start, and I reminded the girls to be mindful about how much glitter and how many sequins to use. In some groups, there were also two incidents of baby oil being spilled, which led to safety concerns. We did adapt quickly, as we made the girls stay seated in their groups, while I cleaned up the spills with the correct cleaning supplies, and Tina oversaw my group.

Week 1 Changes We Made:

kwalas — 2025-07-12 18:10:01 UTC

Day 3: I focused on improving the messaging for the mood bracelets, making sure the girls understood how to use them to identify their emotions. We also ensured the girls didn't see the stone, allowing us to be more time efficient. We also made sure the girls tied their own balloons during the stress ball activity.
Day 4: We introduced Simon Says as a light stretching activity to prepare for yoga, which helped set the tone. We also introduced "square/ box breathing. "For the sensory jars, ALL groups reiterated the importance of using fewer materials so the jars would be easier to see through, and visually appealing. We also made sure that while the girls added their own glitter and sequins, we took charge of pouring the water and baby oil to minimize any spills. We also spread out plastic table cloths for the girls to sit on to reduce the risk of baby oil spilling onto the gym floor.

Week 1 Final Reflections & Takeaways

kwalas — 2025-07-12 18:44:28 UTC

Overall, while the first couple of sessions had some bumps, we learned a lot and worked hard to make improvements that paid off. I’m feeling excited and confident going into next week’s sessions, knowing that we’ve created a positive space and that the girls enjoy our group. I’m looking forward to continuing this week!

kwalas — 2025-07-14 01:43:49 UTC

kwalas — 2025-07-14 02:15:14 UTC

kwalas — 2025-07-14 02:18:48 UTC

kwalas — 2025-07-14 02:20:03 UTC

Week 2 Overview:

kwalas — 2025-07-20 15:45:45 UTC

During our second week at Girls Inc., we facilitated two new sessions with the same 2 groups of 7–8-year-old girls. This week, we focused on teamwork and self-expression through a Treasure Hunt and a Move n’ Groove dance session.

Week 2 Thoughts & Feelings

kwalas — 2025-07-20 15:47:17 UTC

This week felt more relaxed and playful. I think the girls were starting to feel more comfortable with us, and you could tell they were genuinely excited to be there. I loved watching how much fun they had during the treasure hunt, and the dance session was honestly my favorite part. I really saw how movement helped them feel more confident, and even the quieter girls started coming out of their shells.

Week 2: What Didn't Go as Planned

kwalas — 2025-07-20 15:47:39 UTC

During the treasure hunt with the first group, some of the girls would not stop running, and one ended up getting shoved, so, we had to regroup and give reminders about safety.
The dance session also had a bit of confusion. Some of the girls were upset at first because they thought they were getting a prize just for participating, not realizing they had to share a dance move. That led to some girls crying, which was tough, but once we explained it better the second time around, everyone ended up contributing a dance move and having fun.

Week 2- What Went Well Personally:

kwalas — 2025-07-20 15:48:00 UTC

The treasure hunt went way smoother than I expected, especially with my groups. They worked together really well, stayed with their teams, didn't run, and finished everything on time. It was super encouraging to see how respectful and excited they were.
For the dance session, it was amazing seeing how the energy shifted. They all loved the freeze-dance warm-up and did not judge each other. Many girls danced in groups to get everyone involved. A bunch of the girls came in kind of quiet, but by the end, almost all of them were smiling and moving. Some of them even said they felt better after dancing and might use it in the future when they’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

Week 2: Changes We Made

kwalas — 2025-07-20 15:48:18 UTC

We didn't have to change anything in the treasure hunt activity, as the second group was significantly smaller than the first. Having 2 girls per group really helped with overseeing, making sure the girls followed the directions.

Going into the dance session, I was a bit nervous that the girls wouldn't contribute a move, so I decided to use the leftover squishy toys as prizes for contribution. I made sure to really emphasize that the ONLY way to get a squishy was to contribute a dance move to the dance.

Week 2 Final Reflections & Takeaways

kwalas — 2025-07-20 15:48:43 UTC

Since this was our final week, it felt like everything came together. The girls were more confident, more connected, and fully engaged. During the dance session, they encouraged each other and really stepped out of their comfort zones. It felt less like we were leading and more like they were in it with us. I’m proud of how much we’ve accomplished and how we adapted each week to make the sessions stronger. We ended on a high note, and I feel confident knowing that what we did had a real impact.

kwalas — 2025-07-20 17:39:02 UTC

kwalas — 2025-07-20 17:44:04 UTC

kwalas — 2025-07-20 17:44:22 UTC