Happy June from Girls' LEAP!
Congratulations to our Program Participants!
We are proud to share that all of our Spring programs have been successfully completed! Students celebrated and demonstrated the new skills they learned such as boundary setting, dealing with conflict, and de-escalating violent situations at graduations with family and friends!
Spring semester programs included:
- JFK Elementary School
- Mother Caroline Academy
- Somerville Parks and Recreation
- Roxbury Yawkey Boys and Girls Club
- Edgerley Family South Boston Boys and Girls Club
Additionally, we held workshops at multiple locations:
- Intergenerational Community Center in Randolph
- Cambridge Boarding School
- Time of Butterflies at Black Box Theater in Dorchester
- Dudley Street Charter School
Lead Teen Mentor & Board Member Spotlight
Alexis Lawton Lewis
Alexis first got involved with Girls' LEAP in 2022 after finishing an internship at another nonprofit, Breakthrough. She found that she loved being a mentor and wanted to further that experience. Since then, Alexis has held positions including Teen Mentor, Lead Teen Mentor, and Clerk for the Board of Directors. "While being at Girls' LEAP, I learned how to be confident in my own voice and understand that being loud isn't always a bad thing. Before working here, I was somewhat shy in big settings and spoke very softly, but now I can walk in a room ready to face the world."
Alexis's experience with Girls' LEAP has impacted their future goals by making them confident in their abilities as an upcoming artist and mentor. In the fall, they will be attending Union College in Schenectady, New York studying studio fine arts. Ultimately, Alexis would like to work with talented youth and give them a space to create and promote their own artwork while also running their own gallery.
Meet Nyacko Pearl Perry
Nyacko has been a board member with Girls' LEAP for two years. Outside of Girls' LEAP, she works in organization design and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consulting. In this position, Nyacko works to always answer the question: "Where is there opportunity for more compassion?" Additionally, she and her husband started a restaurant in Dorchester called Comfort Kitchen. This restaurant has just been nominated for a James Beard Best New Restaurant Award and has also been recognized as one of the 25 Best New Restaurants in Boston by the New York Times! Nyacko is inspired by the youth we work with at Girls' LEAP (including the teen Board Members) and this keeps her committed to our mission.
Keep the good work going!
Support Girls' LEAP
Girls' LEAP is proud to announce that we have been selected to receive a transformative Boston Children's Hospital "Youth Leaders for Mental and Behavioral Health" grant! This two-year grant is made possible through Boston Children’s Collaboration for Community Health and is a significant milestone for Girls’ LEAP, underscoring the collective belief in our mission to help girls and gender-expansive youth to develop the skills needed to create pathways to opportunity, foster self-worth, and tackle challenges like higher education and workplace representation. We intend to allocate this grants support towards a comprehensive response to the challenges posed by social media, particularly its impact on the mental and behavioral health of youth.
“Boston Children’s support and investment in Girls' LEAP and the other grantees will have a profound impact,” says May Vaughn, Girls’ LEAP Executive Director. “On behalf of the youth and families we serve, I am incredibly thankful for their belief in our mission and vision and their willingness to partner with us to make a difference. Boston Children’s commitment to listening to the community, being good stewards of funding, and ensuring that it is utilized effectively over the years makes me so proud.”
About Girls’ LEAP
Girls’ LEAP has over 25 years experience delivering out-of-school programming to all girls and gender-expansive youth in the Greater Boston area. Our mission is to disrupt the violence that surrounds girls by amplifying their voices, emboldening their courage, and providing critical life and self-defense skills. Our programs, for youth ages 8-22, include physical self-defense and social-emotional skill building. Through physical self-defense training, youth recognize and develop their physical strength. They build confidence to use their voices, set boundaries, create healthy relationships, and develop as leaders. We believe the synergy between physical and emotional intelligence can be transformative in the lives of our program graduates.
"Every day, we are privileged to learn with and from the youth at Girls' LEAP. They teach us, challenge us, and amaze us. We thank them, and we thank you. It is your support and engagement that makes Girls' LEAP possible."
-Girls' LEAP Team