HERstory is a leadership program for middle and high school girls. This preventive intervention program is composed of 50–60 interactive sessions that address social emotional learning, leadership, and Common Core standards and that provide opportunities to link to the school day curriculum. Designed to be facilitated over the course of a school year, the curricular framework is scaffolded by three components:
• COMMUNITY BUILDING—Team-building establishes trust within the group.
• WRITING WORKSHOP—Enhances literacy skills and fosters individual identity through writing on seven core themes: Identity, Those We Are Closest To, Body Image, Love & Relationships, Dreams, Heritage or Tradition, Legacy.
• CREATIVE OUTPUT—A culminating ethnographic theater or artistic literary journal project provides a platform for self-expression within the wider community.
Participants report improvements in key areas targeted by HERstory, including peer connectedness, academic achievement, and a range of protective factors such as future orientation and goal setting.