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Strength
Through All-Girl Education and Support (STAGES)
Strength Through All-Girl Education and Support (STAGES) is our program
for girls in and out of detention. STAGES began in 1998 with a pilot grant
from the Governor's Juvenile Justice Task Force, and has grown to become
a comprehensive program that serves girls while they are incarcerated
in detention and supports them as they return to their communities.
In 2000, our program was one of six chosen nationally to win a National
Juvenile Justice award. In 2004, STAGES won several community awards,
and Tanya Kim, STAGES Program Manager, and Blak Washington, STAGES Instructor,
were awarded Outstanding Group Supervisors by the Seattle Human Services
Department's Seattle Youth Employment Program.
STAGES has three main components that underscore our progressive
intervention model. For more information, read about the three
program components of STAGES:
Janice, 16, was abandoned when
she was an infant and has been a ward of the state most of her life. Juvenile
detention has been a revolving door for her since she was 11, now she
is 16. Janice has been attending Powerful Voices workshops for as many
years as she has been in-and-out of the juvenile detention system. She
used to come to workshops for the food and a chance to get out of her
room. Now she understands the importance of what the workshops are teaching
her. STAGE I workshops have taught Janice how to make healthier decisions
and protect herself when it comes to sex. Janice has also worked with
Powerful Voices staff to set goals for herself. When she was released,
she called the office to tell the staff that she is ready to make some
changes in her life and would like participate in STAGE II. She is motivated
to help younger girls learn from the mistakes she has made while also
earning some income and adding a positive experience to her resume.
STAGES: Three Program Components
STAGE I: Workshops in Detention
STAGE I takes place in the King County Juvenile Detention Facility. STAGE
I consists of 90-minute workshops offered twice weekly. We recognize that
many health issues emerge as symptoms of deeper core issues that have
become embedded over time in the psychological fabric of a girl's life.
Often times, no matter what topic we are teaching about, whether it be
sex trading, drug abuse, or teen pregnancy, the root issues for a girl
can still go unacknowledged. Workshop curriculum is based on our concept
of Integrated Health, which recognizes the holistic health and life of
a girl by addressing issues that affect her mind, body, and soul. In STAGE
I Powerful Voices makes important first contact with girls. They are introduced
to our approach, program influences and the faces of caring staff. Services
are designed to show girls new ways of thinking about their personal health
and development as well as connecting them to additional resources including
the innovative programming of STAGE II and III. STAGE I works collaboratively
with the Department of Public Health - Seattle & King County, the
Orion Center and the Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic
Stress.
Stage I workshops have been designed to look at relationships in the emotional
context of a girl's life, while also providing her with practical tools
for assessing her situation and her decision making process. These workshops
provide factual, accurate, and updated information. STAGE I provides girls
the opportunity to feel safe, comfortable, open and practice new skills
that will demonstrate her ability to act on her own behalf.
STAGE II: Services to Support Re-Entry
STAGE II combines peer education, drop-in groups and resource referral
and advocacy to girls upon their release from detention. All services
are designed to support a girl during the transitional period between
incarceration and re-entry into the community.
Peer Education. Formerly-incarcerated girl are invited
to participate in STAGE II as Peer Educators. Girls are supported to build
concrete skills in public speaking, group facilitation, positive role-modeling,
and peer relationship-building. They develop positive relationships with
peers and adults, develop and strengthen their social skills and begin
building strong connections to supportive services in their communities.
Girls who become Peer Educators are given training and support to present
workshops to girls at risk of incarceration and in return for their time
and effort are provided a stipend and supportive follow-up services. Workshop
topics have been based on our Integrated Health curriculum. Girls enjoy
this opportunity to engage in meaningful work and share their experiences
in a positive way and often are motivated to participate in other supportive
activities we have to offer.
Resource Advocacy. Our staff work with girls one-on-one
to assist with referral to community resources, advocacy and case plan
coordination and collaboration. Assessment and planning services are facilitated
in collaboration with the girls themselves as well as those already in
her life (such as family, friends, her case manager, her probation officer,
etc.) who can support her in reaching her immediate and future goals.
We refer girls to shelters, group homes, and case management. We often
support girls in developing strong relationships with their probation
officer, counselor, case manager, and legal guardian. Service coordination
and community re-entry requires the efforts of many caring adults in a
girl's sphere. Powerful Voices has taken the lead in an effort to connect
service providers and other non-profits who are reaching out to formerly
incarcerated girls in order to better meet their needs through a connected
safety net of services.
STAGE III: DYVAS (Develop Your Voice and
Speak)
DYVAS is an intensive education and employment program for girls once
they have been released from detention. In 2004, we piloted the
program in partnership with the Seattle Youth Employment Program. Girls
come together with program instructors to work for seven weeks to develop
job-readiness and social skills. Building on skills gained and personal
growth, the group produces a summer project. Each girl receives support
and advocacy during the summer and beyond. Girls who qualify are supported
to take their GED test.
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