How We're Unique
Powerful Voices is unique in the Seattle area because of our focus on issues affecting adolescent girls, and because we address these issues-through girl-led, strengths-based programs.
Girl-led
In an all-girl environment with an adult-to-girl ratio that allows for high expectations to be set, girls work on projects they design themselves and set goals that are relevant to their lives. Girls are given every opportunity to practice leadership in our groups and workshops through leading activities and building consensus together as a group.
Strengths-based
While we believe we are preventing girls from serious threats to their well-being, our curriculum is not issue-driven. The issues girls are challenged by are changing all the time, and each community manifests them differently. We have found it more effective to focus on what girls have to offer- their strengths- rather than preach to them about what they should or shouldn't be doing. This makes our programs very portable-virtually any community of girls can engage in our curriculum and find it relevant to their lives. We teach girls the life skills they need to be positive, contributing members of society.
Girl-focused
For many girls, our programs are the only all-girl environments they encounter in their lives. Instructors build an atmosphere of trust and respect that teaches them new ways of forming female friendships. Such an atmosphere is significant, because when you bring girls together from different cliques, grades, and life experiences, you not only transform their lives but you start transforming the entire community.
Girl-specific
We are the only organization in the King County that provides gender-specific services to girls in the Juvenile Justice system. We hold weekly girls' group in the King County Juvenile Detention that allows girls to have a positive girl space where they can talk about healthy relationships, sex, identity, legal rights and much more.
Social Justice-Oriented
Our programs are formed around our social justice framework in which we recognize the oppression that girls face on a daily basis. We are dedicated to including these types of oppression in our programs through conversation and activities. We hope that girls will begin dreaming up social change on their own. One of the ways we have ensured that these conversations happen is by placing each of our programs and operations into one of our four impact areas: Activism & Advocacy, Employment & Economics, Identity & Relationships, and Safety & Health.
Diverse Programming
The young women in Powerful Voices' programs come from a rich diversity of ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds. In 2008 we provided direct services to almost 500 girls, 85% of whom were youth of color. Since our founding year, we have served thousands of girls. The majority of participants are economically disadvantaged. Some girls who participate come from the "highest risk" populations, often cycling through the youth detention facility many times. Others have more stable family and school connections. All of our programs are offered free of charge. Our school-based program targets eighth grade girls at public middle schools, bringing girls together to form relationships across grades and differences. Groups for detained and formerly detained girls are offered to 11-18 year old girls.