G-ROW began as a pilot program in 1996 at the O’Bryant High School in Boston founded by Holly Metcalf. Completing her masters at Harvard University in Risk and Prevention through the graduate school of education, this program was a way to put her education and masters thesis into action. She believed that providing girls with access to a valuable team sport like rowing could help them achieve success at school and in life.

The program, with the help of invaluable volunteers, won the support of the Anna B. Stearns Foundation and officially became G-ROW BOSTON (Girls-Row Boston) in 1998. Row As One partnered with Community Rowing to give the program a home. Community Rowing has since taken on the day-to-day management of the program ensuring its long term success.

G-ROW is based on two fundamental beliefs:
1)	Adolescent girls need to form healthy relationships and a sense of belonging in order to truly express themselves and be themselves; and
2)	Rowing for girls promotes self-confidence, strength, and personal growth in a tangible and powerful way.

The program runs throughout the school year, now at three Boston public schools: The O’Bryant High School and Timilty Middle School in Roxbury, MA, and Brighton High School. Approximately 50 girls from these schools practice two to three days per week after school throughout the school year. In the spring and fall, the girls practice on the Charles River at Community Rowing in Brighton. In the winter, the teams train indoors at Simmons College and other local colleges, rowing clubs, and YMCA’s. Each Wednesday, rowing practice is followed by a study session, where volunteer tutors work one-on-one or in groups with the girls.

In addition to the school-year program, G-ROW BOSTON offers free summer rowing camps for girls who live in Boston. Each summer, approximately 60 girls ages 12-17 learn to row at these camps.

The Harvard Graduate School of Education has been evaluating the program’s impact since the fall of 1998. Results to date indicate that G-ROW is having a very positive effect on girls’ lives. According to the second-year report, “The combination of high challenge and high support seems to be at the center of what makes G-ROW effective, and perhaps unique, as a youth development initiative.”

If you are interested in starting a G-ROW program in your community, please contact us at info@rowasone.org. We would be happy to help you determine if a G-ROW program would be right for your community. We are also happy to work with you to make your vision become a reality. Visit G-ROW BOSTON’s website.

Community Partners:
G-ROW BOSTON is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Anna B. Stearns Charitable Foundation; The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation; The Dolphin Trust; The Hestia Fund; Rutland Corner Foundation; the Dammann Fund; and many generous individuals. Primary collaborators include: the Harvard University Graduate School of Education; Greater Boston YMCA; the Boston Public Schools; the Mason Pool in Dorchester, MA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, and Riverside Boat Club.