NEWS & AWARDS
PRESS RELEASE
ATLANTA – May 18, 2021 – To help inspire Georgia’s young women to “move it, move it,” for improved overall health and well-being, Arketi Group is sponsoring the 2021 GEM Summit, which will be held virtually June 25-27.
GEM, short for Girls Empowering Movement, is a five-year, $5.8 million statewide initiative that aims to increase physical activity and fitness levels of Georgia’s middle school girls. The program’s purpose is to motivate approximately 200,000 young women to get moving by implementing physical activity programs designed by girls and for girls. GEM wants companies to become partners by donating money to help ensure the program and its upcoming Summit message reaches and positively impacts girls across Georgia.
“Like the Beyoncé song says, girls run the world, but we need to make sure they have the tools and resources to reach their goals,” said Jacqueline Parker, vice president at Arketi. “Arketi Group is committed to improving the communities where we live, work and play and believes physical wellness and healthy habits enable greater innovation.
“By joining this important initiative, we can help GEM provide the resources and online training needed to support overall well-being and implement this worthwhile programming in Georgia’s schools, neighborhoods and communities,” she added.
Informed by statewide research and pilot programs led by HealthMPowers, GEM puts youth voice at the center and is truly a girl-led initiative. The GEM Leadership Team, a diverse group of 14 middle school girls, has worked closely with staff during the last year to design a program that resonates with girls their age. The Team collectively decided on the GEM name, provided direction in creating its logo, and have provided valuable insights on all aspects of the program resources. The group announced the program in a video earlier this year.
“GEM is different than other physical activity programs because it doesn’t push girls to do activities they don’t want to do,” said Giselle Adan, GEM leader. “The GEM program takes the time to understand girls and helps them to become strong leaders.”
The GEM Statewide Leadership Summit will ensure more than 240 middle school girls and 120 adult mentors will receive training and tools to create innovative programming for 4,000-plus girls across Georgia this year. It will ultimately provide physical activity and leadership opportunities to approximately 18,000 girls across the state.
Sadly, a World Health Organization (WHO) study found more than 80% of school-going adolescents failed to meet recommendations of at least one hour of physical activity per day, including 85% of girls. In Georgia, FitnessGram® data shows only 51% of girls have healthy aerobic capacity in fifth grade. By their senior year in high school, that number drops to 31%. As such, GEM has provided a venue for turning this downward trend around.
“We’re on the front lines, leading the charge with incredible partners and funders like Arketi, with three bold goals in our sights – improve the physical health of young women, implement a preventative mental health approach and build the next generation of women leaders,” said Jennifer L. Owens, president, HealthMPowers. “This program has the potential to change the trendlines for the next generation of young women.”
With $4.1 million grant support from the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation, the GEM program addresses the challenge of providing girls with access and opportunities for regular physical activity while empowering them to become change-agents in their schools and communities.
Along with HealthMPowers, GEM impact partners include Boys and Girls Clubs of Georgia, Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta and the University of West Georgia. GEM is seeking corporate and private funding to move the program forward and get Georgia’s girls moving.
For more information or to donate, contact Lee Ann Else, development director for HealthMPowers, at leeann.else@healthmpowers.org.
About HealthMPowers
HealthMPowers promotes healthy habits to build a better future for children. By integrating nutrition education and physical activity into schools, early care centers, and out of school time sites, the settings where children spend their time, we create a culture that supports lifelong healthy lifestyle choices for children, families and communities. For more information about HealthMPowers, visit https://healthmpowers.org/.
About Arketi Group
Arketi Group is a digital marketing and public relations firm that helps business-to-business technology organizations accelerate growth through intelligent strategy, public relations, messaging, branding and demand generation. Consistently recognized by Chief Marketer magazine as one of the nation’s “B2B Top Shops” and a “Chief Marketer 200” firm, Arketi helps its clients use marketing to generate revenue. Companies benefiting from this approach to B2B marketing include Arrow, Cox, CHEP, Featurespace, FLEETCOR, Fiserv, Logility and NCR. For more information, call 404-451-7832 or visit www.arketi.com.