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Girls Incorporated of New Hampshire activities encourage political engagement in girls and young women

GIRLS INC. SHE VOTES INITIATIVE PROMOTES LEADERSHIP AND CIVIC AWARENESS

Manchester, NH, October 15, 2008: As the 2008 presidential election draws near, Girls Inc. of New Hampshire, a nonprofit organization where girls achieve their personal best, presents Girls Inc. She Votes, a nonpartisan, nationwide initiative focused on involving girls in the political process and encouraging girls to see themselves as leaders.

Girls Inc. of New Hampshire, through the Girls Inc. She Votes initiative, has been promoting civic engagement in girls and providing a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run for political office and serve as an elected official. Girls have participated in activities that introduced them to voting, public speaking, fundraising, and campaign advertising. Activities began prior to the New Hampshire Primary.

The Girls Inc. National Mock Election will take place on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 , two weeks before the real election.  All four Girls Inc. of New Hampshire Regional Girls' Centers in Nashua, Concord, Manchester and Rochester will join other Girls Inc. affiliates across the county in the mock election. It is anticipated that 250 girls will cast votes in NH. The Greater Manchester Girls Center will have real voting booths, borrowed from the city, on site for the girls to use. Vote counts will be submitted to the Girls Inc. Washington D.C. office, where the national and state results will be tabulated. 

"The Girls Inc. She Votes program is a wonderful way to teach our girls about the political process and the importance of each person's vote, stated Cathy Duffy, CEO. "Our girls are very enthusiastic and look forward to the mock election. They have come to understand that the right to vote is a privilege and they take it very seriously, researching and learning about candidates and making their own decisions," stated Ms. Duffy.

The Girls Inc. She Votes Initiative launched during the 2004 Presidential elections, when more than 2,200 local Girls Inc. girls across the U.S. participated in a mock election and activities that included visits from public officials, volunteering at voter registration drives, viewing and discussing televised debates, get-out-the-vote activities, and creating political cartoons. The development of Girls Inc. She Votes was supported by a grant from The Brico Fund.

Girls Inc. of New Hampshire does not endorse candidates for elective office.

Girls Incorporated of New Hampshire, with subsidiaries in So. Maine and Windsor County, VT, is a member-based organization for girls ages 6 to 18. The agency is dedicated to developing the confidence, intelligence and leadership abilities of girls. Programs are designed to provide girls with an environment in which they can be themselves among supportive peers.   Programs, education and mentoring - and the opportunities that arise from them for members - are tailored to the community in which they are offered. Girls Incorporated of New Hampshire, where girls achieve their personal best, is all about making it possible for girls to discover that strength, that quality within them, that makes them realize they can achieve anything. Over 9,000 girls are served annually through after-school programs, enrichment programs in schools in over 100 schools and regional summer camps. Regional Girls' Centers are located in Nashua, Concord, Manchester and Rochester, NH and Portland, ME. For more information about Girls Incorporated of New Hampshire programs in your community, call our Administrative Offices at 603-625-1296 - toll free 800-775-9372.