The Need

“My time at Girls’ LEAP has been transforming…before…I was someone who was shy, timid…but after Girls’ LEAP I discovered how to be my own person and how to find my voice… that was life-changing for me.”
Zeinab, Girls’ LEAP participant

Who we are

Girls’ LEAP fills an important need in combining self-defense with social-emotional skills. Our curriculum imparts the skills and confidence to protect yourself from victimization and violence, develop self-esteem, non-violent problem-solving skills, healthy anger management, a supportive community of peers and mentors, learning opportunities during out-of-school hours, and decision-making in difficult situations. Girls' LEAP offers programs and workshops to young people aged 8-18 and a powerful, year-round part-time employment program for Teen Mentors that includes training and leadership opportunities in our core physical self-defense and socio-emotional programming, as well as academic support, social and racial justice curriculum, and women of color Speaker Series.

Girls and gender-expansive youth recognize and develop their physical strength by experiencing the power in their bodies; this, in combination with socio-emotional skill building, gives them the confidence to use their voices, set boundaries, create healthy relationships and develop into leaders. The value of this synergy is underscored by our assessments and in the transformations we witness.

As Senator Elizabeth Warren said: "The work that Girls’ LEAP is doing is vitally important...teaching girls to physically defend themselves – that’s powerful...but what is even more powerful is the confidence these girls gain by learning that their voices and their minds are the most important tools they have to change the lives of themselves and those around them.”

Currently, 90% of participants identify as persons of color including 44% Black, 26% Latinx, 16% Multi-Racial, and 4% Asian with 10% White, and 85% of programs are delivered in Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, South Boston, Chinatown, Mission Hill, and Jamaica Plain.

The need

Girls’ LEAP is addressing the serious community issue of sexual and gender-based violence in Greater Boston. According to the 2015 Report on the Status of Women and Girls in Boston, young girls are the most vulnerable to violence and exploitation including domestic violence (70% of victims), sexual assault (90% of victims), and commercial sexual exploitation (98% of victims). Local leaders recognize that there are not enough violence prevention resources available in Boston and surrounding communities (See: The Safety Net, December 2019; City of Boston Violence Prevention Plan, 2017; City of Cambridge Community Needs Assessment, 2017; The Wellbeing of Somerville Report, 2017).

Youth in Boston are disproportionately the target of violence, including domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. According to a recent public health study from MGH (2019), 25% of survey respondents described their Boston neighborhood as "unsafe" or "extremely unsafe". Respondents within our primary service area were twice as likely to report feeling unsafe. Violence commonly results in trauma symptoms that disrupt a child's education and reduce their chance of a healthy, fulfilling life.

3 in 4 parents have not discussed domestic violence or sexual assault with their children, and nearly half have not discussed dating violence, falling behind many other topics of discussion including school, work, and family finances (Avon Foundation, 2016; Rothman et al., 2011). As a result, girls and gender-expansive youth are insufficiently equipped to identify abuse or seek help. When youth are victimized, it becomes a barrier to healthy and fulfilling relationships, careers, and lives (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, 2020).

The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse by putting women and girls in particular at an increased risk of victimization (American Psychological Association, 2020). Furthermore, due to school closures, children experienced unprecedented levels of isolation/loneliness (79%) and depression (25%) (ROX Institute, 2020). In parallel, the Black youth that we serve are enduring another distinctive source of trauma: prominent examples of racial injustice and police brutality against Black lives. As these public health crises continue to grow, we anticipate that their negative effects on physical and mental well-being will be felt for years to come.

Girls’ LEAP has adopted methods that have been proven to reduce victimization and associated trauma. Major studies confirm that women are up to 60% less likely to be assaulted after participating in a physical self-defense course (Hollander, 2014; Sarnquist et al., 2014; Sinclair et al., 2013). Furthermore, developing a support network, and learning key social-emotional skills including self-efficacy, non-violent problem-solving, emotional regulation, boundary setting, and communication, reduces the risk and aftereffects of violence (Centers for Disease Control, 2020). Girls’ LEAP provides the youth of Greater Boston with programs that support the development of these life-changing skills.