Uncategorized

Aug

Pace Graduates Share Next Chapter and Parting Wisdom

Posted on: August 5, 2022

Pace girls come from all backgrounds, but throughout their time at Pace, we teach them to embrace growth and change while working to invest in their futures. Finding power through community, trusted support and self-discovery is an empowering moment in a girl’s life.

Graduation ceremonies are a huge milestone achievement for Pace girls, who have overcome various personal and academic trials in order to complete high school. Embellished in glitter and bold colors, each girl’s graduation cap is often personalized with an inspirational message that reflects on their own individual journey. One cap at Pace Lee read “with patience you grow, you heal, and you learn,” while another one quoted “girls with dreams become women with vision.”

Turning the page to their next chapter in life, these inspiring young women shared their parting wisdom and words of encouragement to help guide the next girl who finds herself in similar shoes.

Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?

“It’s okay to cry and talk about your feelings.” – Alexis

With the help of Pace, Alexis was able to transform her life, both physically and mentally. She plans to pursue a career in the real estate field, with her newborn daughter as motivation by her side.

“Be confident and love yourself.” – Alicia

Through tremendous strength and support, Alicia paved her way to becoming a first-generation college student. She has already started college courses and plans to pursue a career in the medical field.

“Be proud of yourself.” – Ciera

At Pace, Ciera was able to shift her mindset and overcome negative self-talk. Her next chapter includes continuing her education to pursue a career in the medical field.

“You can do whatever you put your mind to.” – Dallise

Pace helped Dallise see her full potential and achieve a happier life. Her sights are set on a career in cosmetology or with a veterinary practice.

“If you believe in yourself, anything is possible.” – Destiny

At a time of anger and rebellion, Destiny found the support she needed to transform into a confident young woman and dream big. Her plans are to pursue a career in her passion of cosmetology.

“Everything happens for a reason.” – Piper

Piper thrived at Pace and studied diligently so she could graduate early. She plans to pursue a career in emergency medical services.

Jul

Pace Macon Girls Express Themselves Through Art

Posted on: July 12, 2022

Partnerships, Uncategorized

Pace believes that all girls, regardless of their story, deserve safe and supportive spaces to heal and develop into strong, compassionate, and successful women. We incorporate self-reflection and mindfulness into curriculum and encourage creativity as a means of self-expression.

In all its various forms, art is a powerful tool for expression. We spoke with Pace Macon girls and Rebecca Richard, Reach Program Manager at Pace Macon, about their recent participation in an art therapy session at Booker T. Washington Center in Georgia.

Eric Gordan, an art educator from Taylor County High School, led the session and shared with girls that they were free to put on their canvases whatever spoke to them as they painted self-portraits.

“Activities such as these create a culture of camaraderie, which is very important because often girls with trauma build a defensive wall where they keep to themselves,” shared Rebecca. “This creative therapy technique allows girls to be vulnerable.”

The Pace Reach Program is designed to be community based and to meet girls where they’re at: in their schools, in their homes and in their communities. Our goal is to ensure that things like transportation and finances don’t become a barrier to providing the behavioral health services that girls need.

“Only a few of these girls knew each other before this activity,” noted Rebecca. “When these girls go back to school in August, they will be able to recognize and have had a positive experience with at least one more person in their community.”

With support from an MVP: Macon Violence Prevention grant, Pace will continue to expand its Reach Programming in Georgia by adding an additional Therapist. Girls who participate in the Pace Reach Program improve their skills and ability to make healthy decisions and reduce harmful habits to their health, wellness and safety. Pace’s holistic approach cares for their physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and relational development needs. Through these services, girls learn how to manage stress and adversities, improve personal relationships, learn new communication skills and improve school performance.

Mar

Supporting Girls During Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month

Posted on: March 2, 2022

UncategorizedTagged Believing in Girls, Community Support, Counseling, Mental Health, Vision Statement

Nationally, nearly 10% of all teenagers are impacted by teen dating violence. In Florida alone, 8.4% of students experienced physical dating violence and 9.6% of students reported being threatened, controlled, or made to feel unsafe by someone they were dating.

During National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, Pace joined partners and educators across the country to teach girls and young women how to recognize and prevent the dangers of dating violence.

Pace Pinellas welcomed Hands Across Tampa Bay for an important breakfast training on the importance of healthy relationships during Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month!

Too often existing systems, like education and mental health care, fail to address the needs of girls who have experienced trauma, like that from dating violence. That’s why at Pace, our team of counselors and educators work to fully understand our girls — including their unique strengths, experiences as young women, and even trauma — when developing individualized plans of care.

Heidi, Pace Pinellas’ development manager, stated:

“We’re grateful to partner with Hands Across the Bay because they’re shining examples of kindness and advocacy in our community. Especially during Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, their message of healthy relationships and strength resonate with our girls and empower them to make good decisions for themselves as they navigate relationships during their teenage years.”

Teen relationships can be incredibly complicated, so it is valuable for anyone who interacts with girls and young women to learn the signs of abusive behavior and what it means to be in a healthy relationship. If someone you know might be harmed by teen dating violence, here are a few do’s and don’ts from the Florida Department of Education to support them:

DO:

Listen to what the student, family or friend is saying without interrupting.
Find out what the person would like to do about the relationship and support them regardless of her decision.
Let them know that you will be there for them if they ever need you and share that abuse usually gets worse over time.
Expect the person to be confused about their feelings and about what to do. Expect them to change their mind, maybe even a few times.
Watch your body language and respect the person’s right to privacy and personal space.
Help the person become informed of available resources, such as the National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline (1-866-331-9474) or the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-500-1119).
Decide how you should proceed with informing any other people, especially if you believe the person who confided in you safety may be in danger.

DO NOT:

Judge the person.
Give advice. Instead, talk to them about the choices they have and help them find people able to help.
Ask unnecessary questions. The person sharing her experience may shut down if she feels she is being pressed to share information that she isn’t ready to talk about.
Overreact.
Confront the person who was causing harm. abusive partner about the abuse. Confronting the person calming harm may put you and the person harmed in danger.

During this month and every month, we believe all girls — regardless of their story — deserve safe and inclusive spaces to heal from the traumas they face. Through the Pace Reach program, we offer supportive therapy and counseling specifically designed for girls in middle and high school in a variety of convenient, easy-to-access locations. With our holistic approach, our girls strengthen their interpersonal skills and learn coping skills that help them overcome past trauma and look toward the future.

Learn more about our Reach Program and the services we offer for teen girls.

Sep

Elevating the Voice of the Girl

Posted on: September 27, 2021

UncategorizedTagged Believing in Girls, Community Support, Innovation, Middle and High School Academics

When working with girls and young women, it is important to understand the implications of Gender Pathways Theory. This theory demonstrates that girls are often involved with the justice system for different reasons than boys, including the type of offenses, the reasons behind the behavior, and how the offenses are carried out. The most common reasons women and young girls head down this path include victimization, mental health issues, and substance abuse. In fact, sexual abuse is one of the primary predictors of justice system involvement for girls. Therefore, prevention and early intervention strategies to steer women and young girls away from and out of the justice system must include holistic treatment designed specifically for girls who have experienced trauma, rather than punitive environments and practices that may likely cause additional trauma.

Gender-responsive models have key program elements aimed at enhancing protective factors. Protective factors are internal and external resources, such as positive adult relationships, problem-solving skills, and a sense of hope, that help minimize the impact of stress and adversity. Understanding the existing gender differences during development, such as learning style and relational preferences, helps build an environment where girls can thrive.

Creating emotional and physical safety is a core component of our model. This sense of safety is woven throughout the design of the program space by spending time and energy developing authentic connections between girls and team members and providing girls choices to take ownership for themselves. Effective gender-responsive models are collaborative, share power with girls, and give girls opportunities to use their voice and grow as leaders. A focus on understanding the intersection of multiple identities, such as race, gender, and sexual identity, and celebrating each girl’s sense of culture are also critical to the success of the program.

The outcome we hope to achieve is for girls to feel empowered, gain a sense of mastery, and focus on healing through goal planning that is steered by the girls themselves. Girls bring with them a voice and successful gender-responsive programming provides elevation and amplification of those voices.

Feb

The Importance of Addressing COVID-19 Trauma with our Youth

Posted on: February 18, 2021

Uncategorized

Over the last year, mental health concerns became real to millions across America. As the coronavirus pandemic intensified social and economic anxieties, the Journal of American Medicine tracked the surge in mental health decline, stating “the effect of COVID-19 deaths on mental health will be profound” in an October 2020 report. Many who suffered were our youth, when schools moving to virtual learning caused achievement gaps to widen for students among low socioeconomic backgrounds.

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