FAQs for Girls

As a member of Girls Inc. Online, you will be part of a cool community of girls where you will connect with other members, and thrive while discovering things about yourself and the world.

No. You have the unique opportunity to be a member of the original Girls Inc. Online community. Girls from communities in Los Angeles, New York City, Virginia, Indiana, and New Orleans will be your fellow members.

You will be participating in a nine-month pilot program, which means the program is in a beginning and experimental phase. Girls helped us create Girls Inc. Online, and we want to know how well we did incorporating their input. We want to know how girls feel about it and what they take away from it.

Girls Incorporated, a national nonprofit organization that inspires all girls to be strong, smart and bold, designed Girls Inc. Online and is bringing it to you with the help of local partners like Girls Inc. centers, schools, computer clubs and libraries.

So many reasons! You will express yourself through cool activities like creating your own avatar, word portraits, and choosing the background color. You'll be part of a community of girls like no other, where you can post on different message boards, send e-mails to other members and participate in live discussions with women in interesting and unique professions. Through Girls Inc. Online, you will also find out about health and relationships, learn about dealing with money matters, and investigate exciting careers.

You want more reasons? By actively participating, members can earn credits and become eligible for the Motivational Awards Program. The number of credits you earn determines the award you are eligible to apply for; awards include tools that can help you succeed, such as digital cameras and electronic keyboards, and even scholarships. Eligibility level, quality of participation in Girls Inc. Online, and an application essay will be used to select the awardees. The guidelines for the Motivational Awards Program can be viewed online at www.girlsinc-online.org/demo. Participation in the Motivational Awards Programs is contingent on signing and submitting a release agreement, which you will receive with your registration materials and which will also be posted at the site.

There are five steps:

1. Sign up online as a guest for two weeks. You can check out what Girls Inc. Online has to offer while your application is processed!

2. To become a member and participate in community features and be eligible for awards, fill out the registration application.

3. Have your parent or guardian read and sign the permission and consent form.

4. This step is called third-party verification because you need a third party to verify the your identity. This can be done at a Girls Inc. partner site, at your school (by a teacher, guidance counselor, records administrator, or principal), or by a Notary Public, which can be found in a phone book.

You might ask, “Why do I have to have so many forms signed?” We think this is the best way to ensure the safety of the members. While it may seem like a lot of work, we need to know that people are who they say they are.

5. Mail or fax the registration application and consent form to Girls Inc.

The address is:

Girls Incorporated
120 Wall Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10005
Attention: Girls Inc. Online

The fax number is (212) 509-8794. Attention: Girls Inc. Online

You will receive a user ID and password after your application has been processed! This might take as long as four weeks, so please be patient.

We need your first and last name, address, phone number, date of birth, e-mail address, and your school’s name and address. We also need the name, address, and phone number of your parent or guardian.

Only Girls Inc. and our local partner where you got the application will have access to information on your application. We only use that information to administer your membership in Girls Inc. Online, in accordance with our privacy policy. We will never share or give out your application information for marketing purposes. We invite you to view our privacy policy for details on how we handle personal information.

Girls Inc. will protect your safety by requiring third party verification and correctly identifying the members. In addition, Girls Inc. Online is a closed community. People surfing the web will not be able to access Girls Inc. Online. Members who have completed their applications and whose identities have been verified by a third party are the only people, besides Girls Inc. staff, who can log onto Girls Inc. Online.

Your membership is free of charge!

The Girls Inc. Online pilot was made possible by a generous grant from the At&T Foundation.

We are conducting the pilot to make sure that Girls Inc. Online will help girls succeed. If it does work, we will make Girls Inc. Online available to many more girls across the country. If it does not work, we will gradually close down the pilot. We will let you know way in advance and provide plenty of time for a transition for members.

So tell us how it is working for you and help us create a great online community for all girls!

Yes. You might have too much fun!

Ask away! If you have other questions, just email them to [email protected]. Someone will answer you as soon as possible.