Mills’ Institute for Civic Leadership is teaming up with the Girls Inc., an organization that has been a recent target of anti-abortion organizations.
ICL received a $320,000 federal grant in November 2004. Part of the money will go toward forging a relationship with Girls Inc., which has promoted fostering girls’ leadership skills for 60 years.
Assistant Coordinator for ICL Rachel Levine said the partnership with Girls Inc. of Alameda will help girls in the community build leadership skills through “the development of leadership curriculum that will be used by the clientele of Girls Inc.”
Pat Loomes, the executive director of Girls Inc. of Alameda, said the partnership will help to continue surveys and research into high school girls’ needs in Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro.
“We will work with Mills to train young women who will conduct research of their own over a 3-year period. During the last year they will implement a program as a result of the research. Maybe a program to implement fresh food in schools, for example,” she said.
