Girls Empowered to Make Success (GEMS)

Program

The GEMS Program is a positive youth development initiative which encourages healthy behaviors, leadership skills and other constructive life skills. GEMS sites enroll girls, ages 10-15, who have with a teen sibling or cousin who is a pregnant or has a baby.

The GEMS program offers each girl an adult mentoring relationship, peer group meetings, and volunteer community service projects. These interventions counterbalance the pressures towards high risk behaviors, particularly teen pregnancy. Life goals and leadership skills are developed.

Background

According to national research, siblings, cousins and close friends of pregnant and parenting teens are at higher risk for early initiation of premarital sexual activity, out-of -wedlock births, cigarette smoking, drug use and school dropout than are siblings of never-pregnant teens.

Funding

While initially funded by TANF as a pilot, in FY 2007 GEMS was totally funded by state General Funds. There will be a Request for Proposals issued for SFY 2009 in the Spring of 2008.

Location of programs

Currently there are 6 program sites: Alexandria, Lee/Wise/Norton, Pulaski County, Charlottesville, Farmville, and Richmond.

Outcomes 2006

At the end of the 2006 program year, of the 113 GEMS participants

• Nearly 95% were not smoking, using alcohol or drugs;
• Over 94% had plans to go college;
• Only 2% planned to have children before age 21; half plan not to have children
• No participants became pregnant during the program year;
• In interviews with the evaluator, participants regularly commented that they got along with their mothers better and that the program helped them with school.

The average number of direct contact hours each participant received was 48 hours

In the Spring of 2006, as a statewide community service project, the GEMS sites created �Girls Empowered for Bright Futures�, a DVD discussion tool for middle school girls about the importance of regular health care, accurate health information and positive health choices. The girls identified barriers for teens accessing regular health care and ways to overcome the barriers. The discussion guide is in process. When that is completed, the DVD and guide will be distributed to schools, health districts and youth groups. While making the DVD, each site explored careers in media and audiovisual production. They also had some activities on public speaking.

Outcomes 2007

During this year, 122 girls participated in the 6 local sites.

• Nearly 94% were not smoking, using alcohol or drugs;
• Over 94% had plans to go college;
• No participants became pregnant during the program year; 92.5 % reported that they were not sexually active

The average number of direct contact hours each participant received was 48 hours.

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