Sakinah Builds Heart & Sole At South Mountain

Sakinah 12, South Mountain Middle School
Favorite Book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series

South Mountain Middle School (SMMS); one of 14 United Way Community Schools in the Lehigh Valley serves over 1,000 students in the Allentown School District.  Through support from Lead Partner, Communities In Schools of the Lehigh Valley, SMMS has engaged 440+ students in enriching activities including after-school programs, sports and academic clubs. 

I caught up with 7th grader and  running enthusiast Sakinah for an interview about what she likes best about the program Heart & Sole, funded by United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. “My favorite part of the program is the Girl Wheel, where we talk about the different parts that make up a girl: social, heart, body, spirit and brain.”  Heart & Sole is the newest addition to the slate of programs provided by Girls on the Run and its sponsoring organization Diakon Child, Family and Community Ministries. Heart and Sole was created to engage middle school girls and follows the mission of its parent 501c3 organization, dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams. 
 
Sakinah has been participating in Heart & Sole for the last two years. She checked out other after school programs and decided to join Heart & Sole because “it seemed like a fun idea” and she likes to run. The Girl Wheel component that she likes best is the foundation of Heart & Sole and ironically involves the least amount of running. 

Lisa Flore, Girls on the Run Lehigh Valley Council Director, described the Girl Wheel in this way: “It is our commitment to the whole girl and the development of a positive sense of self and self-awareness for each girl. The Girl Wheel has five parts…and lessons are developed to explore different parts of the Wheel, but girls choose where and what to focus on for themselves in their lives at that time and girls choose at what depth they want to explore the Wheel.” Twice a week in small teams of 8-20 girls, Heart & Sole teaches life skills through fun, engaging lessons that celebrate the joy of movement. The 24-lesson curriculum is taught by certified Girls on the Run coaches and includes three parts:

1.  Understanding ourselves
2.  Valuing relationships and teamwork
3.  Understanding how we connect with and shape the world at large

Over the course of the program, girls will develop and improve competence, feel confidence in who they are, develop strength of character, respond to others and oneself with care and compassion, create positive connections with peers and adults, and make a meaningful contribution to community and society.

While Sakinah didn’t reveal specifically which part of the Girl Wheel she has been focusing on most, it was evident that she has a strong sense of self awareness and a positive outlook on her abilities. When asked for a highlight of her time with Heart & Sole she smiled and said, “I think I have a daily highlight. After I complete a lap I always feel better.” Sakinah concluded our interview by offering this note to her coaches, “I’d like to say thank you to the coaches, for making us better people and better runners.”