Young women in St. John receive sisterhood mentoring and the time of someone who cares. By creating a positive peer group, women and girls share experiences that instill knowledge of education, career, life skills, cultural roots and community awareness. There are very few resources available for young women and only a handful of youth programs in St. John. This unique program will benefit 30 girls on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Families living in poverty are stressed and constrained by normal activities of daily life, which can make children feel hopeless and helpless. Recent studies on welfare dependency found among families living in poverty: 1) high rates of substance abuse among parents of young teen girls, 2) widespread physical and sexual abuse of teen girls, 3) young girls who were left unattended for long periods of time and 4) teen girls who often assumed adult responsibilities in their homes.
Social service providers confirm that services for at-risk girls were often limited and services that were available were often provided after problems reached the crisis stage. Sisterhood Agenda brings girls together in small, same-age groups for socialization and support with the use of a well-researched curriculum of activities to follow. The curriculum uses a hands-on, multi-media approach with handouts, videos, posters, presenters, field trips and active participation.
The program is a modern approach to instilling knowledge and community awareness by using mentoring and peer influence. The Territory and its communities benefit from reduced teen pregnancies, decreased medical and social service costs, increased academic enrichment in schools, decreased school drop-out rates, decreased juvenile delinquency and related costs, breaking the poverty cycle, increased health and safety for all.
