Boarding Schools for Girls

Sun-Life Financial has announced that it is launching a program call Sun Life Rising Star to help at-risk youth who are committed to furthering their education. The program will award over $1 million to organizations and students this year.

"The Sun-Life Rising Start Awards program is being launched initially as a pilot in six major U.S. cities: Detroit, San Diego, New York, Seattle, Miami/South Florida, and Boston.

In each city, up to three nonprofit organizations and three students will be awarded grants/scholarships, with the exception of Miami/South Florida, where four nonprofits and four students will be selected." [Source: Business Wire]

Nonprofits that are recognized for their commitment to supporting education among at-risk youth will receive $50,000 grants. Each of those organizations must then nominate a student who will receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Labels: education, at-risk youth, grants

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A study that was led by John Eckenrode, PhD, of Cornell University, has revealed that girls whose mothers had received nurse visits while pregnant or after giving birth are less likely to be arrested or convicted of a crime than girls whose mother didnt receive such services.

A Jan. 4 article by Nancy Welsh of MedPage Today provided the following details about the study, which was published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine:

• Among girls whose mothers received prenatal or infancy nurse visits, 10 percent had been arrested by age 19, compared with 30 percent of those in a comparison group.
• Nurse-visited girls also were less likely to be convicted of a crime (4 percent versus 20 percent), researchers reported in the January Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
• The families in the study had been recruited between April 1978 and September 1980 when the mothers attended antepartum clinics or obstetricians' offices. Some 85 percent of the mothers were younger than 19 years, unmarried, or of low socioeconomic status.

Labels: at-risk youth, early_intervention

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At-risk teen and adolescent girls in the Poughkeepsie, N.Y., area have two opportunities to develop their artistic abilities while also learning a number of other lessons that can help them pursue more promising futures.

A Dec. 1 article in the Poughkeepsie Journal provided the following information on the Program for Adolescent Student Women Of Real Direction (PASWORD) and the Adolescent Women Are Realizing Empowerment program (Project AWARE):

PASWORD and Project AWARE use the arts to address gender-specific issues for middle and high school girls at risk in the Poughkeepsie and Beacon areas.

Professional artist-educators help girls realize their personal strengths, talents and passions as they develop self-expression, self-esteem, discipline and friendships in a safe environment.

Participants attend tuition-free thanks to sponsors including the Community Foundation of Dutchess County, the Dyson Foundation and United Way of Dutchess County.

Labels: at-risk youth, girls, art

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A $5,000 grant is being credited for allowing a Maryland program to offer expanded services to at-risk adolescent girls. A Nov. 5 article by Charlene Polk of the Delmarva Media Group provided the following details about the Pocomoke Citys SAGES program:

The SAGES program, which has been offered to girls in Berlin since 2003, is now being offered to seventh- and eighth-grade girls in Pocomoke at the Worcester Youth and Family Counseling site there. The acronym stands for "Strengthening Adolescent Girls with Education and Support."

"The need is so great down there," said Teresa Fields, director of WCYFCS. "There are very few programs for people in need."

The new Pocomoke program, which is funded through the Community Foundation's grant as well as other funding from other local organizations, is open to 20 adolescent girls who are experiencing conflicts in either their home or school life. Although girls can inquire themselves about the program or be given a referral through their school, Fields said her staff selects participants with a screening process.

"We want to make sure we get the neediest girls," Fields said. "Girls who want to be in it and can form a cohesive group to work together."

Labels: at-risk youth, maryland

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An Oct. 8 conference in Springfield, Massachusetts is designed to address the range of issues facing at-risk girls and the professionals who work with them. A Sept. 8 article in the Massachusetts newspaper The Republican provided the following details:

Educators, social workers, service providers and anyone who interacts with at-risk girls are invited to the fifth annual "Through Her Eyes: The Experience of Girls and the Juvenile Justice System" conference.

The event, with a theme this year of "Empowering Girls Through Social Change," focuses on how to best meet the needs of female juvenile offenders in Western Massachusetts.

Ja'Net Smith, interim program director for the Terri Thomas Girls Program, a detention, stabilization and short-term treatment program for girls, said the juvenile justice system has primarily focused on males.

"The way it's approached is through a male model," Smith said. "We feel it's important to focus on best practices with girls. The people that work with girls day in and day out. I don't think they often have venues like this where they can network with each other and hear from experts regarding the work they do."

Registration fees for the conference, which will be held in Springfield's MassMutual Center, are $120 (general admission) or $100 (students). For more about the conference visit www.throughhereyes.org.

Labels: at-risk youth, conference, juvenile offenders

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A youth empowerment program in Aiken, South Carolina will soon be providing additional support and assistance to at-risk girls in grades five and six via a weekly school-based "Girls Circle" initiative.

An Aug. 27 article by Rob Novit of the Aiken Standard provided the following information about the effort:

Girls Circle will function almost as a support group but will deal with specific topics, said agency Executive Director Susan Meehan.

The girls will get advice on saying "no" when they feel pressure from guys. But the program is also intended to help them feel more connected with other girls.

"When you address girls in a girls' setting, you can help them talk through this in a different way about the attitudes that can lead to early sexual behavior," Meehan said.

[Agency Program Director Sondra] Thomas hopes to reduce or prevent at-risk activities with the fifth- and sixth-grade girls by helping build self-sufficiency and letting them know they don't need someone else to validate them.

Is your middle-school-aged child suffering from emotional or behavioral problems related to self-esteem, self-confidence or self-reliance? If so, take a moment to learn more about how a private boarding school for girls such as New Leaf Academy can help your struggling daughter grow into a self-sufficient teenager and a strong, successful adult.

Labels: at-risk youth, middle school, self-esteem

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