Program Description:

The Rancho Santa Fe Women’s Fund awarded $48,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest San Diego (BGCNWSD) to support SMART & Savvy, a girl-centered program for girls ages 11-18 that promotes confidence, emotional wellness, healthy relationships and personal safety. The program combined the SMART Girls curriculum, with hands-on safety training, including self-defense, online safety, emergency preparedness, personal boundaries, and strategies for handling unsafe situations.

The project aimed to serve 150 girls by building confidence, teaching healthy relationship skills, increasing awareness of dating violence and online safety, providing self-defense training and helping each participant develop a personal safety plan.  

Results:

SMART & Savvy successfully delivered its core programming, although participation was lower than originally projected.

During the grant period:

• 96 girls participated in the structured SMART & Savvy/SMART Girls program.
• 609 girls benefited from broader Club programs focused on wellness, leadership, safety, and healthy relationships.
• Self-defense workshops and personal safety education were provided through community partnerships, including a safety event for the Polster Elementary and Middle School community.

Program survey results from 67 participants showed strong outcomes:

• 89% felt emotional safe.
• 84% felt physical safe.
• 86% reported strong connections with caring adults.
• 83% felt a strong sense of belonging.

Staff also observed increased confidence, leadership, and engagement among participants. The grant strengthened partnerships with organizations such as the Oceanside Police Department and Play It Safe Defense, expanding access to credible safety education and positive adult role models.

Future Plans:

BGCNWSD will continue offering programming that build confidence, leadership, emotional wellness, healthy relationships, and personal safety for girls. While SMART & Savvy may evolve, its core components—including SMART Girls curriculum, mentoring, leadership opportunities, wellness activities, and self-defense workshops — will remain part of regular Clubhouse programming.

The organization will sustain these efforts through grants, individual donations, in-kind support, and ongoing community partnerships.