WEC adopts ROX program as supported initiative

Westerville Education Challenge is pleased to announce the adoption of ROX – the Ruling Our eXperiences program – as one of our supported initiatives in the Westerville City School District.

WEC’s goal with ROX is for every female student in the WCSD to be invited to have an opportunity to participate in ROX programming before graduation, said WEC President Laura Hammer.

The program is open to all girls in grades 5-12. It’s expected that 300-400 girls in the Westerville district will participate this year.

ROX is a Columbus-based, national nonprofit organization that conducts large-scale national research, and creates evidence-based programs for schools to better support and empower girls.

According to its website, ROX began in 2006 as a research study at The Ohio State University where Founder and CEO Dr. Lisa Hinkelman spent her career training graduate students in counselor education.

As a licensed counselor working with adults and students in school settings, Dr. Hinkelman recognized that the issues facing female students mirrored the experiences of the adult women she was working with in counseling. This connection sparked a research agenda that sought to understand the challenges facing girls and what interventions existed to help them navigate these challenges.

Highly motivated to improve outcomes for future women, Hinkelman put research into practice and developed a comprehensive curriculum that could be delivered during the school day and that was available for any girl that expressed interested. She founded Ruling Our eXperiences, Inc. (ROX) in 2011 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to create generations of confident girls who are in control of their own relationships, experiences, decisions and futures.

Since then, ROX has scaled nationally to grow programming across nearly 40 states with more than 7,500 girls annually and launched The ROX Institute for Research & Training to provide innovative, data-driven resources for the adults who support girls.

Serving thousands of adult influencers each year, the ROX Institute conducts large-scale national studies of girls’ lived experiences and uses that data to provide engaging, evidence-based resources for parents, educators, counselors, mentors, and coaches.

“We know the world is challenging for girls,” says the ROX site. “The Girls’ Index,” the group’s 2023 national research report, found:

• 79% of girls report that they are under so much pressure they feel like they are going to explode.
• Over half of girls don’t believe they’re smart enough for their dream career.
• 1 in 2 girls are afraid to lead because they don’t want others to think they’re bossy.

ROX advocates a three-pronged program to address these concerns and others. It:

• Equips girls with the skills they need to navigate today’s challenges through the evidence-based ROX Program for girls in grades 5-12.
• Improves school outcomes and enhances parent engagement with research, professional development and curriculum.
• Provides access data-driven tools that increase understanding, build connection and cultivate confidence.

“We know the ROX program for girls works,” the organization says, citing these statistics from program participants:

• 86 percent of ROX girls report have higher levels of self-esteem and self-confidence.
• 9 in 10 ROX girls report they feel safer and more confident that they can protect themselves.
• 78 percent of ROX girls improved attendance and/or increased connection to school after participating in the program.
• A 63 percent decrease in bullying and relational aggression was reported among ROX girls.

The overall aim is, “empowering girls to rule their experiences — from relationships to academics,” the organization says, “to equip girls with the skills they need to navigate today’s challenges, increase confidence and empower females by using the evidence-based ROX program.”

WEC’s support

Founded in 2007 to bring the Challenge Day program to Westerville City Schools, Westerville Education Challenge is a nonprofit, volunteer community organization that works to help create school cultures where every student feels safe, supported, and celebrated.

We do this through raising awareness and funds for Social Emotional Learning Initiatives in the Westerville Schools community.

In addition to ROX, current WEC-supported initiatives in the Westerville City School District include:

• Hope Squad, a school-based, peer led suicide prevention program which equips and empowers students to watch out for youth in distress.
• Parent Prep, offering valuable information to parents & guardians of Westerville schoolchildren at all grade levels.
• WEB, Where Everybody Belongs creates a welcoming culture for new middle school students in Westerville.
• Link Crew, a premier high school orientation and transition program, where freshmen receive year-long support from trained upperclassmen mentors.
• Student Scholarships, WEC each year awards scholarships to one graduate of Westerville Central, North and South high schools; and
• Twinkle, the certified Canine Companion trained to give Westerville students a stress break, and housed at Westerville South High School, sponsored by WEC.