What a Girl Wants
Rosh Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing Evaluation 2008

This year’s evaluation gave new insight into how much the girls appreciate the Jewish content, and how successful the program is in making Judaism relevant to their lives. 

A contemporary celebration of the ancient New Moon holiday, Rosh Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing! builds girls’ self-esteem, leadership skills, and Jewish identity. Since Rosh Hodesh was launched nationally in 2002 with 40 groups, the program has empowered 6,000 Jewish pre-teen and teenage girls.

In 2008-09, some 300 groups of girls will be meeting monthly – many returning for their second through fifth years.
 
Evaluated by Mirele B. Goldsmith, the girls’ responses reveal both a high level of satisfaction with Rosh Hodesh and a deep appreciation for the uniqueness of the experience.

The girls related several recurring themes that they like most about Rosh Hodesh, such as:

• getting together and making friends
• talking about the sensitive issues that they care about in an open and safe environment
• activities that relate Jewish values and traditions to the girls’ personal experiences

Jillian, a high school girl from New Jersey whose Rosh Hodesh group is now in its 5^th year, said,

I love connecting with the girls in my group and discussing with them issues that are important to think about as a Jew, a girl, and as a member of society.

The girls weighed in on several categories, starting with their relative enjoyment of program:

• 85% of the girls say that “Rosh Hodesh is a lot of fun.”
• 85% of the girls say that “I like the way our group leaders run the group.”
• 77% of the girls plan to continue in their Rosh Hodesh group.  Of those who provide a reason for not continuing, the most common reasons are that the group will not be available, they are too busy, or they will be too old to participate.
• 58% of the girls say that they “like Rosh Hodesh more than the other Jewish activities” that they do. 

The girls appreciate the Jewish content of Rosh Hodesh: It's a Girl Thing!, both for the Jewish learning, and the opportunity to be with Jewish girls like themselves.

• 75% of the girls say that “Compared to when I began Rosh Hodesh I now…feel more connected to other Jewish girls.” 
• 72% of the girls say that they “like learning about women and Judaism.”
• 65% of the girls say that “compared to when I began Rosh Hodesh…I feel more connected to Judaism.”
• 59% agree that “I am more interested in learning about my Jewish heritage.” 
• 47% agree that they “feel more spiritual.”

The girls also value Rosh Hodesh for the opportunity to discuss sensitive topics is a safe and confidential environment. 

• 59% of the girls say that “I can talk about things in my Rosh Hodesh group that I can’t discuss in other places.” 
• 49% of the girls say that they have talked about something in their Rosh Hodesh group that has helped them with a problem or issue in their life.  More than 100 girls gave specific examples.

Overall, this comment from Alison, a 7^th grader from California, sums up the girls’ feelings about Rosh Hodesh:

I like the fact that it's fun and you learn at the same time about Judaism, and I get to be with other girls my age that I enjoy talking to.