DECEMBER 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 31
GIRLS, INC.
REFUELING GIRL POWER
BY NICK FODERA
In a world that has become more
and more hostile to young women,
Girls Inc. of Long Island has the tools
to help young girls not only succeed,
but thrive.
What sets Girls Inc. apart from so
many other girl-based charities, according
to Executive Director Renee
Flagler, is its focus on helping to connect
and improve all the disparate elements
of a young woman’s life, from
academics to social skills. The key to
doing that, Flagler says, is helping
to build self confidence and trust in
the girls within their stead. Girls Inc.
also offers academic help in the form
of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics) classes, as
well as media and financial literacy
programs, all designed to prepare
girls for every conceivable challenge.
“We’re really, really adamant about
giving them exposure,” says Flagler.
“Showing them what
they can do through
other people who have
done similar things.”
The nonprofit,
which serves girls
ages 5 through 18, has
chapters nationwide
and in Canada. It’s
also one of the oldest
of its kind, tracing its
origin back to 1864.
According to Girls
Inc.’s program manager
Sunita Mahtani,
no one program that
the organization offers takes precedent
above any others.
“We realize that girls’ experiences
aren’t in a silo,” she says. “We really
look at strengthening each of our
program areas so that we can then
strengthen our overall impact.”
For Mahtani, a first-generation
Indian-American whose parents
instilled a strong sense of the importance
of education and equal rights
for women in her, joining Girls Inc.
was an easy decision.
“I really want all girls to believe in
that opportunity, to understand that
they can be just as effective and powerful
as anyone else around them,”
she says.
But even in the different socioeconomic
strata on Long Island, the
issues affecting girls today, such as
body image issues, social media bullying
and teenage pregnancy, are not
unique to the region.
“Most of the issues that girls are
facing today are really similar,
whether it’s Long Island or other areas,”
says Barbara Beatus-Vegh, the
charity’s associate director.
The challenge that Girls Inc. of
Long Island faces is in breaking
the misconception surrounding
advocacy for young women: that it
is exclusionary to everyone else. It
is important to the Girls Inc. staff
that they work to correct the record
for those who feel that feminism is a
dirty word.
“Honestly, it’s all about empowerment
on all sides.” says Beatus-Vegh.
“People feeling in charge of their
own lives, feeling that they have a
voice.”
PRESS BUSINESS
(Left to right) Girls Inc., members Terry Collins
Reyes, Domenique Camacho Moran, Jaclyn
Mucaria, Nayeli Tunche, Cindy McLoughlin and
Kenneth White are honored during the organization’s
seventh annual gala 2018 at Crest Hollow
Country Club in Woodbury. Photo by: Bob Giglione
ARMPARTY
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