Welcome
The curriculum includes 10 lessons that can be taught on their own or in sequence. Find the lessons free on our The Lessons tab. This project began as an undergraduate research project through the Pioneer Leadership Program at the University of Denver and each lesson has been reviewed by community stakeholders to ensure that it is comprehensive, inclusive, and effective from an educator standpoint.
This project stemmed from our identification of a problem within general sexual health curriculums taught in the United States. Often these programs are not led by informed professionals, but rather teachers of alternate subjects who are stepping outside of their normal roles to teach students about sexual health and puberty. An important aspect of our research surfaced the reality that no matter the topic, girls thrive in all-girls spaces and are able to be more vulnerable, allowing them to absorb information more meaningfully and foster more positivity. In middle and high school, competition among girls is common and can be combated when a strong all-girl space is present in girls' lives.
Thank you for visiting Project Like a Girl. Let this site serve as a tangible resource for the facilitation of an inclusive empowerment, education, and mentorship-based curriculum for middle to high school-aged girls. The focus of the curriculum is to positively impact girls at an important stage in their growth so they are able to build positive self-esteem, learn more about their minds and bodies, and foster healthy relationships starting now and carrying into their adult lives.
The project originated with a three-tiered mentorship structure in mind, where college girls would mentor high school girls who would mentor middle school girls, with the curriculum lessons as a guide for topic conversation. With middle school and high school girls able to look up to the group that they are being mentored by and learn more firsthand about what the next stage in their lives could look like, our hope is that the transition between these stages is smoother for them. On the other side of this, for college-aged girls, reciprocity mentorship plays a large role in the project, meaning they are learning about themselves and learning from their mentee through serving in a mentor role, in addition to their mentee learning from them.
Our hope is that you use this curriculum as it applies to your life, whether that be taught in its entirety or single lessons used as a way to connect with a girl you have in mind. In the spirit of reciprocity mentorship, spread these resources far and wide and play a role in changing how middle and high schoolers are receiving supplementary education on these topics.
Our hope is that you use this curriculum as it applies to your life, whether that be taught in its entirety or single lessons used as a way to connect with a girl you have in mind. In the spirit of reciprocity mentorship, spread these resources far and wide and play a role in changing how middle and high schoolers are receiving supplementary education on these topics.
About Us
Tia Polite
lilli stone
Tia is familiar with being the only girl in male-dominated environments. She began working as a line cook in Chicago at the age of 16 and has felt the pressure associated with being a woman in the restaurant kitchen. To combat this, she worked hard, took time to reflect, read, and learn more about her reactions to stressors in her life in order to grow. She only wishes that she was better prepared to do so. She noticed a lack of thoroughness in her high school sexual education curriculum, which motivated her to join this project. Tia takes her self-awareness and turns it into inspiration. She is a mentor and protégé in the Fritz Knobel School of Hospitality Management at the University of Denver and has taken on leadership roles within the hospitality industry in the city of Denver. Her passion is not only a job but a way of life. Her ultimate goal is to help people learn more about themselves and the world so they can live positively.
As a Teaching Fellow during a five-week STEAM Academy through Generation Teach, Lilli knows what it means to give a greater voice to children. Drawing from her own experiences, she noticed differences in the behaviors of boys and girls in and outside the classrooms. Overall, the girls in her class seemed less willing to participate or share, to have much less confidence in their academic abilities, and to care more about the opinions of their peers. After seeing that firsthand, she knew that she had to be working with young girls like the ones she met this summer who made such a big impact on her.
jackson garske
Kassidy Patarino
Jackson Garske brings a diverse perspective not only due to his sex but also from his global perspective. As an International Studies major, he is passionate about the position of the United States and its counterparts all around the world. This self-awareness translates perfectly on a microlevel as well. He was never afraid to break the mold of typical “boy” activities, and always brings the entertainment to the group whether it comes from his background in musical theater or improv. Jackson is one of the very few men that takes the acknowledgment of his position into action and his strengths in problem-solving and conflict resolution are invaluable.
Growing up in a family of three girls, Kassidy prides herself on understanding the pressures of growing up in a man's world. With a major in psychology—concentrating on cognitive neuroscience—and minors in leadership and biology, Kassidy brings much of the scientific brains to the team. This is something our arts, humanities, and social science majors appreciate about her. With an emphasis on STEM, Kassidy provides the biological rationale for much of the questions that arise when speaking about the differences in girls and boys. She is passionate about youth development and in her not so abundant free time from her jobs as a Behavioral Research for Anxiety Intervention Efficiency Lab and Resident Assistant, Kassidy nannies, coaches youth soccer and mentors special needs programs. She has a passion for the nuances of the way people work and using that knowledge to build community wherever she goes.
Dajah Brooks
Dajah Brooks expresses all things inspiration. We are pleased to call sophomore senator in Undergraduate Student Government, treasurer for the African Students’ United, chairwoman for the Sustainability Committee, and Delta Zeta sorority sister as the Fundraising Chair, a team member. The vast experience in different areas on campus brings an insider’s perspective to where the inequality between the sexes exists (hint… it’s everywhere). Her assets are exhibited in her involvement and obvious passion for community change. As a volunteer at the children’s museum and a mentor with Camp Anytown—a leadership institute that empowers young people, she is no stranger to making her knowledge accessible to anyone and everyone. It is obvious that Dajah continues to practice many values that our team holds close in priority.
zoi johns
Zoi Johns is the youngest of two boys. Needless to say, she knows what it means to fight for her spot at the table. When she was called bossy in elementary school, she took it as a compliment. Zoi loves to do the atypical. She spends her weekends as the youngest, and the only girl, a volunteer ski patroller at Granby Ranch. She loves the challenge and as a Rotary ambassador, Zoi is no stranger to speaking her piece in front of a room of men, founding interacts and Rotaract programs in high school and college. She works with an older age bracket during the summer as a counselor at a Youth Leadership conference annually and witnessed first-hand the effects of inequality at all ages. It helps that Zoi is an Anthropology and International Studies student as she knows she’ll change the world.