Girls Vacation Fund, Inc.

The mission of Girls Quest is to nurture girls from low-income families in New York to help them achieve their full potential and become active members of their communities by building academic and social competence. During 2007, Girls Quest served a total of over 330 girls in our continuum of programming. These girls came from all 5 boroughs of NYC and they were racially diverse: 69% were African American, 12% were Latina, 4% were Caucasian, and 2% were Asian American. Some 73% percent of the girls we served lived at or below the Federal poverty standard and another 11% were very low income, for a total of 84% of our girls living in or at risk of poverty. Based on our annual surveys and interviews of our girls, most of the girls we serve face many of the challenges of urban poverty on a daily basis, minimal access to health care, poor nutrition, lack of economic opportunity for their families, and insufficient social services. Other factors that make them “at risk” of engaging in dangerous behaviors and underachieving in school: -Over 80% of the girls we serve live in one-parent households, with grandparents, or in foster care. -92% of our girls live in what are considered high-risk neighborhoods, with almost half residing in the most high-risk neighborhoods in New York. -This means that most of our girls come from neighborhoods that, according to the Citizen's Committee for Children, have the most violent crimes and over 10% more teen births than the already high city average. Beyond statistics, most live in communities where living standards and everyday experiences do not help them to thrive and grow the right of girls everywhere but rather at best curb their development. -At worst, they face things that are harmful: inadequate and overcrowded housing, street crime and violence, underperforming schools, friends and family members who abuse alcohol or drugs, and exploitation. -In recent years, many more of our girls than previously have reported significant problems in their daily lives with peer pressure, bullying, and gangs, while increasing numbers have diagnosed mental health issues, including learning and emotional problems. Girls Quest has historically focused our programs on the summer, and we have achieved great success with our two-week residential program, the Summer Experiential Education and Development Program (SEED), in overcoming the debilitating effects of a non-enriching summer for disadvantaged girls. Our experience with our newer, smaller, year-round programs has shown that we can achieve great results during the school year as well by increasing the frequency of our work with our girls during out-of-school time. This increased engagement for disadvantaged girls and young women is especially needed at a time when we hear daily reports of the increasing need for education and enrichment programs to prevent disadvantaged young people from becoming discouraged, disconnected, and disenfranchised later in life, a real fear when 200,000 youths in New York between 16 and 24 are not in school, not working, and not looking for work. Studies show that keeping youths engaged at meaningful and continuous levels year-round helps prevent them from dropping out of school, beginning criminal activity, and losing the precious ground many gain in programs such as Girls Quest offers. Our newly expanded year-round work with girls of all ages will help secure their positive development.