Dawson County Parks and Recreation is pleased to announce a new, cutting-edge program for middle school girls.

GOAL, a nationally recognized program designed to “promote self-esteem, self awareness and respect for individual differences in girls and young women, resulting in an enhanced capacity for leadership,” is the result of newly formed partnerships within the community. The Nordson Corporation, an international company with a presence in Dawson County, is one of the program sponsors. In addition, Dawson County Parks and Recreation and the Dawson County School System have partnered to provide trained facilitators for the program.

Buffie Henson, Program Coordinator for Dawson County Parks & Recreation and Shari Chastain, School Psychologist for the Dawson County School System have partnered to become the facilitators for the GOAL program. The two traveled to Decatur in August for the two-day facilitator training. “We learned what GOAL believes to be the main points of youth development, the differences between a male and female brain, and why dealing with teenage girls requires a different style of relating and communicating than if we were dealing with teenage boys,” said Henson. “Going into the training, I was very reserved in my opinions on how I thought the program would actually turn out. Now that Shari and I have completed the training and have a better understanding of the methods and messages that need to be used and addressed for the program, I feel very confident that the program will have a very positive impact on the girls,” she said.

According to the GOAL core curriculum, the GOAL vision is to “…shape a future generation of strong, competent and resilient women able to handle life’s challenges with flexibility and a solid grounding in their own identity. GOAL is for girls – the women of tomorrow. The world of the future will be stronger if today’s girls learn how to value themselves and interact successfully in a diverse community.”

Lisa Henson, Recreation Director for Dawson County said, “In today’s society girls are faced with many more pressures, challenges, obstacles and life changing decisions at a much younger age. GOAL will help them to develop their leadership potential, self-worth and improve their self esteem. By doing so, life’s challenges will not seem so insurmountable and they will gain a firm foundation upon which to base their decisions. Buffie and Shari are the perfect role models for this program and they will be excellent facilitators.”

To learn more about the GOAL program, history and curriculum go to www.goalonline.org. For information on upcoming sessions at Rock Creek Park contact Buffie Henson at 706-344-3646, Ext. 224 or by emailing bhenson@dawsoncounty.org.