Girls LEAD! of YWCA Dayton has announced its fall activity lineup, including virtual check-in chats, a girls' squad, and socially-distant field trips. Girls LEAD! Chats happen on select Fridays at 4 p.m. starting Sept. 11 for current Girls LEAD! participants; Girls Squad sessions are scheduled for select Saturdays at noon starting Sept. 12 and are open to all. Find the full schedule HERE.“After schools shifted to virtual learning in the spring, our Girls LEAD! Chats were a great way for girls to check in and stay connected with one another, so we knew they needed to continue this fall, especially since the majority are still learning remotely,” explained Dr. Rochelle Garner, executive director of Girls LEAD! “It is also a fun, unstructured time to spend together, which can be a nice change and a different outlet from doing online learning all week. Girls can expect a high-energy virtual space where they have the autonomy to control the topics of conversation, whether it is something that happened that week at school, or the latest movie they watched. They can also expect to play games and make friends with girls they might not otherwise interact with from schools in Montgomery and Preble counties.”Girls Squad, meanwhile, offers the opportunity to engage with more structured programming and conversations with staff and peers. Topics include social-emotional growth and bullying prevention; healthy friendships and relationships; teen dating violence; and social justice activism. Squad activities are open to all girls, not just those participating in in-school programming. Girls can expect structured conversations led by YW youth/teen educators, as well as guest speakers, and a non-judgmental space to explore topics such as body image, bullying, setting boundaries, and ask questions and explore thought processes."Recognizing that these are tough times for our children and families, it's so important to continue to offer social-emotional learning for our girls," Garner said. "Not only due to COVID-19 and students spending the majority of their time learning online where certain vulnerable situations could potentially arise; but also due to the racial injustices that our girls are witnessing and have lived themselves. Providing this space to show them that we are here for them, that we care and are concerned about their overall well-being, is critically important in the work we do."For more information or to RSVP, contact girlslead@ywcadayton.org or call 937-461-5550 x120.