Last week (June 23) marked the 44th anniversary of Title IX. The amendment protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. The passing of Title IX in 1972 by the United States government opened a new path for girls and women who dreamed of putting their thumbprint on the world in the way of sports, education, and employment. It's also a guarantee that Step Up girls applying for college have an equal opportunity for acceptance as their male peers and equal opportunity for employment before, during, and after college. Equal opportunities in these areas are especially important to Step Up and our teens.
3 ways Step Up Lives the Title IX Purpose
- Partnering with local high schools to offer after-school programs. The interactive curriculum helps girls in the areas of confidence, goal setting, communication, relationship building, and navigating the college application journey.
- Group mentoring focused on career readiness. Step Up members assist with monthly Saturday career-readiness workshops that help prepare Step Up seniors for paid summer internships before they head off to their first semester of college.
- Beating the national high school graduation rate (73%) by 25%. After just one year of Step Up after-school programs, teens are more confident and place a higher value on getting a college degree.
