GWENS GIRLS INCORPORATED
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Mission Statement
The mission of Gwen’s Girls is to empower girls and young women in the Pittsburgh region to have productive lives through holistic, gender-specific programs, education and experiences.
About This Cause
Gwen’s Girls was established in 2002 by Gwen Elliott, former commander of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. During her tenure, Gwen often observed gaps in services to girls, particularly in neighborhoods inundated with poverty, drugs and violence. After retiring, she was inspired to launch a program that would address the unique challenges faced by urban girls living in at-risk areas. Since inception, we have lived up to our mission to empower girls and young women to have productive lives through holistic, gender-specific programs, education and experiences by responding to the needs of more than 2,500 girls through our prevention, reunification, school-based and community-based programs and services. We have a residential group home that serves delinquent and dependent girls, with a specialty in girls who are pregnant and parenting. Since opening in 2006, the group home has served nearly 300 girls and 50 babies. We also have a foster care program that has placed more than 165 children in caring, temporary homes since 2007. We know that the more support we can offer to each of our girls, the better chance they have of realizing and reaching their potential. To that end, we utilize mental and physical health and wellness education as well as therapeutic groups (e.g., grief and loss, sexual abuse, eating disorders) to address core issues that girls may be facing. More importantly, Gwen’s Girls fills the role of cheerleader, tutor, mentor and support team for the girls, offering concrete and tangible paths to success through mentoring, training, tutoring, personal coaching and enrichment activities that expose the girls to venues beyond their everyday lives. Our conceptual program model is based on research findings and best practices - we work from a positive perspective to build upon each girl's personal strengths and provide opportunities and experiences for each girl to be successful. Gwen's Girls addresses the 10 pathways, or life domains, that are critical to a girl's development and future success: education, health and wellness, leadership development, life skills, family life, community service, female awareness, cultural enrichment, spirituality, and recreation. Through a comprehensive assessment, these life domains are translated into an individualized "pathway" plan that is developed in partnership with each girl, her family, Gwen's Girls staff and other involved agencies. Each girl's needs-based screening and assessment will determine her comprehensive care model, including the intensity of services and which programs/services in our unique continuum of care will be provided. Our girls are rising above statistics and stereotypes—as authors of their own stories and narrators of their own dreams. Our vision for 2020 is that we will continue to nurture leadership, positive self-image, sisterhood and academic excellence within our girls. Our work also extends to their parents and caregivers, as well as the community. Through our intense advocacy work, we are helping to shape a community that respects and embraces the humanity and unique experiences of black girls. Our advocacy and policy work has a national reach and we hope that you will continue to be engaged.