Girls Inc. expands to Russell Sage College in Troy
TROY - Scarlet Crouse, a 12-year-old attending Troy Middle School, said she built her confidence through being a part of Girls Inc., a nonprofit that provides free programming for school-age girls.
On Thursday, Girls Inc. held a news conference announcing its new partnership with Russell Sage College. The collaboration enables the nonprofit to serve a higher volume of students, while also creating an enriching opportunity for girls to be immersed and see themselves in a higher education environment.
Crouse was poised speaking in front of a room of strangers and media, explaining the range of knowledge she's gained from her involvement. "We learned about everything from human anatomy to dance to developing empathy, " she said of the two years she has spent taking part in Girls Inc. programs.
Girls Inc. offers a daily after-school program from September through June, a program for high schoolers with monthly activities, mentorship and a summer camp. The after-school program announced Thursday features a STEAM-based curriculum - a combination of science, technology, engineering, arts and math - with the hopes of exposing girls to fields not traditionally dominated by women and was launched this week with around 35 participants in a newly dedicated space on the college campus. Russell Sage College students will assist as part of their service learning hours.
The organization offerings also focus on cultivating the girls socially and emotionally, ensuring they are confident, equipped with self-esteem and comfortable advocating for themselves. Girls Inc. reports that 85% of those enrolled in its programming identify as girls of color and 65% come from households with an income of less than $30,000.
When asked why it's important to have spaces exclusively for young girls, Crouse said, "You won't get the same relationship with your parents or boys. With girls, especially girls you can relate to and bond over the same things, it makes you feel like you're not the only one."
With a national curriculum backed by scientific research based on age, the content for the STEAM program is engaging and digestible for the girls.
"They're not learning something too young for them," Ashli Fragomeni, CEO of Girls Inc., said. "They're not learning about something over their head, which is why I think you can hear them talk about what they love, because they understand it."
Fragomeni started as the executive director of Girls Inc. in May 2020 and was promoted to CEO in April 2024. She also graduated from Russell Sage College, founded in 1916 by Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage. Russell Sage President Matthew Shaftel explained that Sage's husband didn't believe in women's empowerment, education or voting rights.
"As soon as he passed, she immediately gave his money away to an institution devoted to those very ideals," Shaftel said. "My favorite part is, she named it after him."
Fragomeni said it's very exciting how the exposure to higher education can change the trajectory of a young girl's life. "When she gets to a point where she has to start making decisions about what post-secondary life looks like, she will have had all of the experiences needed to make a really informed decision," she said.
For Daphne Johnson, a seventh grader who's been a part of Girls Inc. for three years, one valuable takeaway came from practicing anesthesia on Zelda, a test doll used to teach about the human body. She laughed at that memory and the complications that came with it but said it was a core moment that inspired her to want to become a doctor.
Bria Barnes-Coleman, the incoming board chair for Girls Inc., said she sees herself in the girls who take part in the programing. Barnes-Coleman is involved with everything from after-school programs to grilling burgers at events, to attending board meetings and galas. While Barnes-Coleman said she doesn't want to do TikTok dances with the girls, she enjoys watching them do it. "The best part is hanging out with the girls," Barnes-Coleman said.
The impact of Girls Inc. goes beyond just the girls' experiences, extending to their families and communities, Barnes-Coleman said and that it's evident to her seeing the joy on girls' faces, or the pride on parents' faces when their daughter receives a certificate for best laugh at summer camp.
"There is something special about a space exclusively for girls because there is more room to joyfully make mistakes, to fall gracefully, to not always be right, to just be yourself," she said. "There is something really welcoming that gives the girls the opportunity to be themselves without judgment and with the freedom to grow their understanding of themselves."
Fragomeni said Girls Inc. can offer its services for free because of significant efforts of networking and fundraising. About half of the funding comes from grants, with the rest coming from events often supported by corporate sponsors and individual donors. The nonprofit's team consists of five full-time workers supporting an organization with a budget of more than $1million. With more than 150 girls enrolled in their programs, the effort for funding to sustain and grow the business is integral.
Fragomeni said that early in her career, she was often the only woman at the table.
Through Girls Inc., she hopes to change that dynamic for future women and girls. Even if she's not able to disrupt that, she's satisfied knowing that, "(i)f the woman sitting at the table is a Girls Inc. girl, she knows how to use her voice."
