The Girls Institute of Ohio (GIO) is a well-respected state non-profit organization that has researched and developed guidelines and best practices for professionals working with girls.  The program was initiated in response to the rise in girls' delinquency rates both in Ohio and nationally.  GIO was determined to help professionals to recognize the difference in successful support methodologies between boys and girls.  Many current programs and services were developed with boys in mind or have never considered gender in relationship to potential success.

Though specifically focused on girls at-risk, the program also challenges all professionals working with girls to develop healthy, foundational and gender-sensitive programs and services to support the growth of healthy girls.  Currently offered in Ohio as a live 3-day immersion training and interactive experience, GIO wanted to make the high-quality information contained within their training program available to a wider audience of professionals.  To this end, SIM has been sought to develop and deliver an online version of the current training.

The course modules being developed are still in progress at this time.