GIRLS CLUB OF NEW YORK - Raising the next generation of environmental entrepreneurial and ethical leaders
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Raising the next
generation of
environmental
entrepreneurial
and ethical leaders
The Lower Eastside
GIRLS CLUB
OF NEW YORK
www.girlsclub.org
T
EN
About The EM
The Lower
Eastside Girls Club
AT
Lower Eastside
ST
provides a place where girls and young
N
Girls Club
women 8–18 can grow, learn, have fun, and develop
SIO
confidence in themselves and their ability
MIS
to make a difference in the world. By
delivering strong arts, literacy, science,
Many of the girls who attend Girls Club programs lack the advantages
that children of middle-class families enjoy: namely, a familiarity with health and leadership programs, we
the mainstream avenues to social and economic success, a sense of provide girls with the vision to plan
the different ways one can have a say in the community, and the ability – and the tools to build – their
to navigate the educational system. While it has become common
future. All Girls Club programs
to speak of a “glass ceiling” that impedes women’s advancement at
develop environmental,
their jobs and within their fields, many Lower East Side girls do not
even have the “ground floor” from which to build their futures. entrepreneurial and ethical
leadership in the
The Girls Club addresses these “ground floor” issues through its girls we serve.
many arts, sports, career-preparation and educational programs. A middle
However, we also believe that the problems of poor educational school girl
and economic opportunity are compounded by a lack of knowledge may attend the Girls
about, and experience in, ways of changing their community. Club 2–3 times per week, alternating
Working towards positive social change can furnish girls with a between photography and film classes,
sense of their own skills and self-worth that rivals traditional Science Sisters workshops, tutoring, arts
measures of social and economic success in its power. classes and our monthly mentoring programs.
A high school member will attend 3–4 times per
Using a project-based experiential education approach, the Girls week as a Cascading Leadership participant, taking
Club holds classes in schools, after-school, on weekends and entrepreneurial training courses in our Sweet Things Bake
on full days throughout school breaks. Girls also participate Shop, working at her internship placement or one of our three social
in national and international travel programs, and have the venture businesses, participating in our world of work conferences and
opportunity to hold part-time jobs in our entrepreneurial ongoing speaker series and preparing for college applications and SATs.
businesses (a bakery, gift shop and farmers market). STEM (science,
technology, engineering and math) programs are emphasized The Lower Eastside Girls Club’s cutting-edge curriculum, structured
along with arts and personal development programs. to foster girls’ entrepreneurial, environmental and ethical leadership,
addresses the social inequalities
In that many of our members participate for five years or more faced by our participants by
(we have a 93% three year retention rate), we are able to providing them with long-term
support them as they transition from childhood to adolescence mentoring relationships,
to womanhood. Through a broad variety of programs that innovative programming,
take place year-round, Girls Club members develop long-term experiential learning
relationships with staff, peers and volunteer mentors. opportunities and
These relationships are key to guiding girls through the many phases of employment training.
adolescence, to their arts and academic successes, mental health and
ability to enter college or the work force as fully prepared young adults.
“I love the Girls Club because of all the true opportunities that I
get. I enjoy having mentors, going to art museums, going to camp
every summer, and going on trips to other places. I also love that
the Girls Club is always there for me when I need them. I make new
friends and meet awesome people who inspire me.” — Yangzom
ABOUT THE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY:
The neighborhood that The Lower Eastside Girls Club serves is a 50-block
NEW BUILDING: area in the northeast corner of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, stretching
from the Bowery in the west to the East River, 14th Street to the north and
Delancey Street to the south. The Lower East Side falls into Community
THE LOWER EASTSIDE GIRLS CLUB District 3, which has a population of 164,400 residents. Over 50% of
CENTER FOR COMMUNITY Lower East Side residents qualify for income support or other forms
of supplemental assistance. Most members of the Girls Club and their
families live in a chain of public housing projects (NYCHA) running along
Avenue D and the East River, and in low-income housing developments
The Lower Eastside Girls Club Center for Community, scattered throughout the neighborhood.
New York City’s first and only Girls Club facility, is now open on
Avenue D between 7th and 8th Streets in Manhattan! Girls enter a new The Lower East Side has the third highest number of children living
world filled with hope, imagination and possibility for the future. in poverty in Manhattan, with 13,498 of its 32,139 youth (42%) living
in poverty. In many local schools, less than 35% of the students are
reading at grade level. In addition to school age youth there are 8,575
The Baker Hall Health and Wellness Center, a multipurpose facility
young women between 18 and 25 years old. Nearly two-thirds (63%)
for healthcare and physical activities, offers dance, yoga, drumming, of this population is Hispanic, African Americans comprise 27% with
meditation and stress reduction programs, sports activities and more. the remaining population mostly Asian. Risk factors to families and
Nurse practitioners, nutritionists, and physical fitness instructors children in this area include high rates of poverty, crime, school drop out,
are available for counseling and training. Educational classes and unemployment, population density and a shortage of affordable housing.
Together they are formidable barriers to social and economic success.
events for families and new parents also take place here.
The Lamarr-Lovelace Labs are the epicenter of all technology-related
programs and equipment. The Labs are home to The East Village
Planetarium: a 64 seat, 30 ft dome that teaches earth and sky science,
astro-visualization and digital design to schools and small group and commercial kitchen. These programs offer job training and
classes. The Media Center offers computer stations with free wireless opportunities for teenage girls and neighborhood women. The kitchen
Internet access, and classes in graphic design, web design and digital also serves as a classroom for GirlFit nutrition education and Pizza
photography. Digital filmmaking and editing classes also take place here. Academy classes, while meeting in-house food service needs. A planted
courtyard with an outdoor fountain, designed by artist Kiki Smith, and
Simultaneously, girls take their digital film, photography and IT courses, café tables provides a unique oasis for dining and quiet events.
while school classes and the general public participate in film festivals
and screening events in the Center for Media and Social Justice screening In the Girl-Made & Fair Trade Gift Shop, items from our sister cooperatives
room. The WGRL/Girls Out Loud Sound Design Studio is the site for around the world (Chiapas, Sierra Leone and Nepal) share shelf space
live programming, podcasting, and digital journalism activities. with girl-made crafts and artwork. Our La Tiendita retail shops at the
Essex Street Market, 120 Delancey Street, and at 136 Avenue C are
Program development offices, conference and training rooms share space staffed by moms and alumni and are outlets for Fair Trade goods.
with the Counseling, Career and Leadership Center where girls can meet “I will take full advantage of
with nurse educators, nutritionists, social workers, career counselors, the media and social justice
and college advisors. Ongoing mentoring, tutoring, academic support, center for my strong interest in
leadership development and civic engagement programs take place here.
activism. I’m also very excited
about the wellness programs
Alphabet City Art School houses large light-filled art studios used
for painting, drawing and other materials arts classes. The Art + for my mental and physical
Community Gallery, site of the Girls Club’s teen curatorial training health. I can’t wait to
program, acts as a venue for a wide range of art exhibitions. enjoy my favorite hobby of
journalism by recording in the
The Science and Environmental Education Center opens onto podcast room in the Airstream.
a working green roof where Farm Girls manage the working
I want to bring my passion
green roof, and grow flowers and herbs for the café.
for feminism to help future
We have expanded our successful entrepreneurial social venture generations of girls feel
businesses, the Sweet Things Bake Shop and Celebrate Café, with confident and follow their
the construction of a We Mean Business Culinary Education Center aspirations.” — Nova
Opening doors. Empowering women.
Building community, girl by girl!
Those were the words in our founding mission statement in 1996. By creating a ‘whole-girl’ approach – emphasizing a broad range
Sixteen years ago, The Lower Eastside Girls Club didn’t exist. of cultural competencies needed for success: curiosity, poise,
No staff, no programs, no building. And, quite frankly, no manual to happiness, resiliency, compassion, general physical health
follow on how to build an innovative and sustainable organization for and job readiness – we use more than academic performance
girls. After identifying this huge gap, we had a mission: start a place to benchmark our impact. Our new building is designed to
that provides services for girls and women in our own backyard. create an integrated experience, where education (like life, in
general) is not compartmentalized and all are welcome.
In just a decade and a half, The Lower Eastside Girls Club (LESGC)
has become one of the best-known community organizations in
New York City. Word has spread nationally and internationally, “I love the Girls Club because they
with visitors this year alone from Illinois, California, Louisiana,
help me build my self-esteem, be more
Australia, Great Britain and Denmark. And everyone is asking the
same question: “How did a small group of community moms and confident, and get to know new places
their friends become Social Venture Entrepreneurs, design a start- and people and try new things!”
up and grow it from an all-volunteer staff working in borrowed
— Jennifer
spaces into a unique organization building a $20 million center?”
How did we do it? Community, Collaboration, Creativity. By being
open to opportunity, by making opportunity happen. We understood
contemporary culture, and we understood the needs of adolescent girls
and their families. We knew our community because it was, and is, our
community. And we saw the need for more than ‘social services’. All the
social services in the world were not making a significant difference in
our girls’ future prospects - we needed ‘social change’. While everyone
agrees with the concept that: “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child,”
we realized that it would: “Take a Girls Club to Make a Village.”
We consciously set out to create a new model of community agency,
creating a culture that values creativity and experimentation, while
putting girls and women at the center of community development
and revitalization. Think: Jane Addams meets Jane Jacobs. We
took our inspiration from the founder of the Settlement House
movement and the woman best known for rethinking the place of
community in urban development. We then added a healthy dose
of Positive Youth Development best practices, and the Carrera
parallel family model, borrowed the education goals of The American
Visionary Art Museum and started to build, both philosophically
and literally, our Girls Club. Our founding vision was a dual one: to
reframe the field of youth development as a ‘whole community’
issue, and to construct a building to house that vision.
As a community-based organization we work to overcome the
fragmentation of youth services through partnerships with non-profit
organizations that share our mission, with local businesses, academic
institutions, faith-based communities, and with our members’ families.
The Lower Eastside Girls Club
Center for Community:
t Provides girls with safe spaces to grow
physically, mentally and emotionally;
t Delivers programs, experiences and opportunities that spark girls’
interests in the world around them, and helps them use these
f
experiences and knowledge to build healthy and successful futures;
t
af
St
Creates a space for positive peer impact, as studies
b
show that who a youth ‘hangs out’ with in their teens is a lu
huge predictor of future college and career success; and l sC
t The e Gir
Invests in women. By training and employing neighborhood moms and former Girls Club Lower Eastsid
members, we impact the local economy, and the future of succeeding generations.
37%
How is The Lower Eastside Girls Club different and of Lower East Side
girls graduate from
more impactful than other youth serving organizations? High School.2
The Girls Club staff and ‘family’ are committed to: 90%
t Focusing on scaling strategies that allow us to share our 45% of teenage girls
say they “hate”
knowledge without diluting our local impact. of Girls Club something about
t Taking a stand that might be considered controversial,
members have a
family member who
their bodies. 3
if necessary, to address social or environmental inequities; is incarcerated. 1
t
t
Sharing our resources by incorporating men and boys into our movement;
Addressing inequality of resources in a ‘gentrifying’ city;
100%
t Building a highly engaged governing body (Board of Directors); of Girls Club members
t Establishing strong advisory networks;
have a place to grow,
t Partnering with other organizations to enhance program delivery;
t Developing earned income initiatives;
30% dream and reach
t Raising funds to capitalize our programs and strengthen
of Girls Club members their full potential!
financial procedures and internal controls;
t Developing strong and dedicated staff through
are immigrants
28% are first
generation.
75%
training supports and benefit packages;
t Building our own “safety net” of volunteers and supporters through our
Angel Alliance (junior board), committed mentors and donors at all levels; of teenagers report
t Working on our brand development, creating a youth agency people can “buy” into.
having been in a
physically or
verbally abusive
This year, The Lower Eastside Girls Club embarks on a partnership that adds significant relationship.4
reach and resources to our organization: The Tyra Banks TZONE. The TZONE will be
the entry portal for youth participants to Girls Club programs, and will be our national
95%
of Girls Club
training center. With the incorporation of the TZONE, The Lower Eastside Girls Club families live below
has the potential to make statewide, national and international impact on youth and the poverty level. 5
community programming. Indeed, it takes a Girls Club to create a (global) village.
1. http://agyp.org/about/our-communities
2. http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/statistics/hsgrads/2011/rpt_district_Outcomes_allstudents.pdf
3. http://heartofleadership.com/statistics-on-body-image-self-esteem-parental-influence/ Lyn Pentecost
4. http://www.opdv.state.ny.us/public_awareness/campaigns/tdvcampaigns/tdvfactsheet.html Co-Founder and Executive Director
5. http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/East-Village-New-York-NY.html The Lower Eastside Girls Club
Our Partners
LOCAL PARTNERS NATIONAL PARTNERS
BioBus Perfect Ten Hudson, NY
Science Education for Teens
YaYas New Orleans, LA
Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing
On-site nurses for private consultation and training GIRLS CLUB WORLDWIDE
Justice Rising Shine on Sierra Leone West Africa
Support programs for families affected
by the criminal justice system Ghar Sita Mutu Nepal
Middle Project Club Balam Chiapas, Mexico
Young adult leadership training
Glasgow Girls Club Scotland
NYCHA REES ZONE Partnership
Employment of NYCHA moms through ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING
our MOM Squad Training Program
La Tiendita
Voto Latino at Essex Market and East Village
Civic education and voter Our Girl Made and Fair Trade shop! Practical
registration for young women gift and culinary items for the home. Proceeds
support entrepreneurial, environmental and ethical
Chicken and Egg Pictures training programs for girls and their families.
Film education
LESGC FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN FY14
LESGC Expense LESGC Revenue
1
LESGC IMPACT ASSESSMENT FY14
The formula that makes the LESGC a successful enterprise
includes a combination of the following important factors:
A safe, respectful environment where everyone feels supported;
Individual attention for each girl;
Hands-on, fun, experiential learning;
Importance of continuously expanding one‘s horizons by trying
new things;
A focus on civic responsibility: affecting change in a person‘s
immediate environment and the world for the better; and,
2
Fostering a community of mentors at all levels who teach one
another about leadership.
LESGC IMPACT ASSESSMENT FY14
The LESGC’s most recent full scale evaluations
showed the following findings:
Lower Eastside Girls Club (LESGC) participants and stakeholders pointed to a
sense of community as one of the most important elements of the organization.
TheLESGC provides a safe, fun alternative and a place to make friends and
develop a “sisterhood.”
Perhapspartially as result of the community experience at the LESGC, when
asked about role models, the majority of girls pointed to older women in their
lives.
LESGC participants improve their sense of responsibility and gain self esteem at
all age levels; as they do so, they develop very concrete goals for their futures.
3
LESGC IMPACT ASSESSMENT FY14
The LESGC’s most recent full scale evaluations
showed the following findings:
LESGC activities, including homework help and tutoring as well as other
projects, provide reinforcement for much of the work the girls are expected
to do in school.
Thegirls take great pride in the activities in which they participate and the
accomplishments they have made.
LESGC staff combines high expectations and a nurturing style that
reinforces positive behavior, responsibility and empowerment.
LESGC programs contribute to making High School participants more
informed citizens.
4LESGC IMPACT ASSESSMENT FY14
The LESGC’s most recent full scale evaluations
showed the following findings:
LESGC activities teach more than specific skills; girls also report learning
specific behaviors and life skills by spending time at the Girls Club, such as
communicating more clearly, appreciating opportunities, controlling anger,
and eating healthily.
Girls say they have learned additional ‘life skills’ most importantly, the
ability to have a voice and “stand up for ourselves.”
LESGC girls have internalized the meaning of good leadership and serve as
positive role models in their communities.
The stability and permanency of the Lower Eastside Girls Club along with
the opportunities it provides are invaluable to the girls‘ success and well-
being in life.
5LESGC FUNDERS FY14
Foundation Grants Learning by Giving The Pinkerton Foundation
Foundation
AAUW – The Muriel F. Siebert
American Association of Lovelight Foundation Foundation
University Women
NY Community Trust The Shelley and Donald
Akin Ludwig Family Fund Rubin Foundation
Sagalyn Family Fund
Atlantic Philanthropies The Tyra Banks TZONE
Foundation
SEAK Foundation
Caliban Foundation
The Truesdale Family Trust
Starry Night Fund
HIVE Digital Media
Theodore Cross Family
Learning Fund The Harman Family Fund
Foundation
Frog Crossing Tyler Rigg Foundation
Foundation The Mary J. Hutchins 6
Foundation
WT Grant FoundationLESGC FUNDERS FY14
Corporate and NYU Office of NY State Department of
Community Business Government and Environmental
Community Affairs Conservation
Contributions
SoulCycle NYC Civic Corps,
Amazon AmeriCorps
Bikram Yoga Verizon Foundation NYC Council –
Lower East Side Manhattan Delegation
WME Foundation
CAA Foundation NYC Council –
Women’s Caucus
Google Government Funding
NYC Council –
Greater NY NASA – CASA
Summer of Innovation
Neuberger Berman NYC Department of
NEA – Big Read Cultural Affairs
NYU College of Arts and
Sciences NYS Office of Children & 7
Family ServicesLESGC FUNDERS FY14
Major Capital Funders
AK Starr Charitable Trust The Kresge Foundation
Booth Ferris Foundation The Russell Grinnell Memorial Trust
Cydney and Tom Marsico NYC Mayor’s Office
Family Foundation of Capital Projects
Anonymous NY State Assembly
Anonymous NYC Council,
in honor of Judith Bruce Manhattan Delegation
8LESGC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rachel Weingeist, Board Co-Chair Rosario Dawson
Steve Perricone, Board Co-Chair Tricia Donegan
Lisa Laukitis, Esq, Vice Chair Carter Emmart
Ian Blumenstein, Esq, Treasurer Jen Gatien
Rosie Rodriguez, Secretary Judith Helfand
Lyn Pentecost, PhD, Executive Director Angie Klein
Veronica Bailin Reverend Dr. Jacqui Lewis
Julia Cheiffetz Mariana Salem
Selena Ching Gael Towey
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