May 2010 Newsletter

Dear Friend,

April was another busy travel month!  In addition to the Ashoka Future Forum in Washington DC, I also attended the Women’s Funding Network National Conference in Denver, CO.  It’s the largest annual event of it’s kind, with more than 400 philanthropists, grantmakers, community leaders and social entrepreneurs from six continents dedicated to investing in women and girls. It was inspiring!

While in Denver, I learned I was being honored by The Administration for Children’s Services New York as a part of Child Abuse Prevention Month. GEMS Youth Outreach worker Cynthia accepted the Advocacy Award on my behalf for our efforts to protect vulnerable children and families in our City.

This Mother’s Day, I am listening to the GEMS anthem, “This is To Mother You,” a song donated to the agency by Sinead O’Connor and performed by O’Connor, Mary J. Blige and former GEMS member Martha B.  I worked again with filmmaker David Schisgall (Very Young Girls) to produce a music video for the song whose lyrics reflect the way we feel about the young women and girls we serve at GEMS: protect them, nurture them and support them.

In May, I will be advocating for CSEC survivors at the Office for Victims of Crime Conference on Human Trafficking in Washington, DC and at the Prime Movers New Fellow Conference in Boston.  I am also looking forward to accompanying GEMS Youth Outreach Worker Shaquana as she testifies at a congressional briefing on Domestic Trafficking in Washington, DC.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support and encouragement for the work we are doing here at GEMS!

Sincerely,

Rachel Lloyd

Founder & Executive Director

Girls Educational & Mentoring Services

Mother’s Day

This Mother’s Day, GEMS is celebrating the beauty and worth of all women and girls.  Last month, we invited supporters to submit a favorite photo with a mother, daughter, or other amazing, influential females in their lives for a chance to be included in the official “This is To Mother You” music video. The music video, like the song, recorded by Sinead O’Connor, Mary J. Blige and former GEMS member Martha B. will be used as a tool to spread awareness and honor the many individuals who help in the fight against the commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of girls.  We received so many beautiful pictures from our friends that we had to create this video in the meantime!

Watch the supporter generated video! Click here to buy the song.

GEMS Community Outreach

Recent Outreach
GEMS’ Youth Outreach Workers have been out in the community talking to the public about the commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of girls.  Some recent highlights include:

  • All Black Radio 91.7 FM Community Radio: GEMS Outreach Worker Shaquana was a featured guest where she talked about CSEC and domestic trafficking. The station manager suggested GEMS host their very own radio show.  Hmm… GEMS Radio, not a bad idea!
  • The United Nations: GEMS Youth Outreach Worker, Sheila spoke on a panel exploring social exclusion at The United Nations Division of Social Policy and Development, Civil Society Forum: Voices of the People: Civil Society Speaks. Here is an excerpt of her speech: “As a victim I was invisible. When I was in the life I worked around 42nd Street. One time,  my pimp caught me sleeping in the Port Authority bathroom. He had forced me to work for two days straight with no food, and when he found me sleeping he beat the crap out of me in front of all of the people at Port Authority – the cops, the cabs, everybody – and nobody tried to stop him, or asked me if I needed help. He dragged me through Port Authority and out the building. I was bleeding, my shirt was ripped, and nobody  helped me. After something like that, you really feel like nobody sees you. You feel like this is only happening to me. You can’t imagine it happening to someone else. There’s a police station inside Port Authority, but no cops helped me or arrested my pimp. Nobody did anything. I know firsthand that CSEC victims are socially excluded from their families, from education, medical and counseling services, and protection by the law. All of the things that everyday people have access to and take for granted are things that more than 300,000 youth in the U.S. don’t really have access to. The invisibility of so many youth highlights the need for services for CSEC victims in the United States.”

The Office of Strategic Initiatives at the Port Authority recently reached out to GEMS to collaborate with the agency to improve conditions at the Port Authority through our Outreach initiatives.  We are looking forward to partnering with them to help end the commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of girls.

Highlights & Happenings

Educational Initiatives: Intern for a Day
After a successful Career Day last fall when GEMS members were introduced to a variety of career options from professional women, the concept was recently expanded into a one-day internship where members spent the entire day shadowing a female professional.

GEMS’ Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) Program
We have a new partnership with Brooklyn Criminal Court.  The ATI program is a part of GEMS’ court advocacy efforts to provide defender-based alternative sentencing services and support for young women ages 16-21 who are survivors of commercial sexual exploitation involved in the criminal court system within the boroughs of New York City on matters related to prostitution and correlating arrests.

GEMS’ ATI Program ensures that all young women arrested for prostitution are afforded the opportunity to connect with supportive services within the community that can assist them in exiting and recovery.  GEMS’ ATI Program provides court advocacy efforts to Midtown Community Court, Bronx Community Solutions, and now Brooklyn Criminal Court.

New Programming: Mommy & Me
Mommy & Me is a support group for GEMS members who are either pregnant or parenting. The group uses Cassandra Mack’s, MSW The Single Mom’s Little Book of Wisdom curriculum, which is geared to empower young mothers and mothers to be in various areas of self-care and parenting using six core themes: affirmation, devotion, personal pledge, reflective reading and journaling, questions to ask oneself and action steps.

Diamonds of the Month

GEMS’ Diamond of The Month program highlights members who are making significant progress in their personal development. Diamonds are nominated by GEMS staff and those selected are featured on GEMS’ Community Wall.  This month we added two members:

Lillian
Lillian has been a GEMS member for almost 2 ½ years.  Since arriving, she has been working towards achieving her goals and being a positive inspiration for her peers. While residing in GEMS housing, Lillian obtained employment and saved enough money to move out on her own while working diligently with her lawyer from Urban Justice to obtain her T-Visa. Lillian has also actively pursued her artistic interests by attended acting, vocal and dance classes, with the hopes of beginning college soon. Lillian has accomplished so much through her hard work and commitment.  She is an inspiration to everyone at GEMS!

Jennifer
Jennifer exemplifies the essence of what GEMS works to achieve. With maturity and a sense of self, Jennifer takes every opportunity to learn and grow from her past experiences. Two months after coming to GEMS, she started classes at Mission College as a Marketing and Advertising major. Presently living in California, she hopes to return to NY to enroll at FIT. Jennifer recently created a personal plan for herself, which has not only strengthened her focus but given her a visual of the steps needed in order to accomplish the goals she has set for herself. Aware of her beauty, worth, and potential for future success, Jennifer represents what it means to be a GEMS Diamond of the Month.

GEMS In the News

News

Join GEMS in the fight to hold Craigslist accountable for profiting from the trafficking of girls.  Click here to read the open letter from GEMS founder and Executive Director Rachel Lloyd to Jim Buckmaster, the CEO of Craigslist.  Then click here to sign the petition.  To read recent press about this issue, please check out:

“Gambino Mob Meets Craigslist? Trafficking Women Online for Sex Say Authorities”

- CBSNews.com

“Is Craigslist a Pimp?”

- HuffingtonPost.com

“Craigslist is Subpoenaed Over Sex Ads”

- NYTimes.com

Media

“Sex Ads Seen Adding Revenue to Craigslist”

-NYTimes.com

Rachel on the Radio

- Power 105 Radio Community Show

“This Could Happen to Anyone” In NCFY’s award-winning latest podcast, a GEMS member who was commercially sexually exploited at age 17 talks about how she became a victim of sex trafficking and was able to escape her trafficker with the support of GEMS.

- National Clearing House on
Families & Youth

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Thursday, June 17th, 2010, 4:53 pm
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