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A program for girls has helped one Detroit, Michigan, teenager overcome a tragic past and look forward to a positive future. GENERATIONS: Strengthening Women and Families Affected by HIV/AIDS |
Arreana is among nearly 250 girls and young women who have participated in the Girl Smart series, a program that teaches girls how to live healthier, safer and more fulfilling lives.
A program for girls has helped one Detroit, Michigan, teenager overcome a tragic past and look forward to a positive future.
Two years ago, the future was far from Arreana’s mind. She had been in and out of foster homes for several years. “I went into the foster care system when I was 8 because of an abusive situation at home. I was sent to lots of different places and ended up in an all girls’ home. At one point, I wanted to give up. My grades were really low. And when bad things happened to me, I didn’t know how to speak up for or protect myself. I felt like no one was in my corner. ”
Staff at the girls’ home recognized Arreana’s potential and signed her up for the Girl Smart program offered by Alternatives For Girls (AFG). The program was developed by AFG through a grant provided by National AIDS Fund (NAF) and Johnson & Johnson. It includes six sessions that help girls and young women learn about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), recognize peer pressure, develop confidence and cope with difficult situations.
“The program gives the girls the information and skills they need to make positive behavior choices. It teaches them how to protect themselves from STIs, and how to say ‘no’ when they are being pressured into an unhealthy decision,” says Ruthie Davis, an AFG staff member.
Ruthie says that during the past two years, 248 girls and young women have participated in the Girl Smart series, one of the many prevention programs offered by AFG. Other AFG services include a homeless shelter that houses up to 35 young women and an outreach program that takes to the streets to reach those engaged in high-risk activities, such as drug abuse and prostitution.
The AFG Girl Smart program was developed and launched with help from GENERATIONS: Strengthening Women and Families Affected by HIV/AIDS, a public-private partnership between NAF and Johnson & Johnson. AFG and seven other organizations received grants from 2007 to 2009 to build innovative HIV prevention programs that target high-risk girls and women. The eight community-based organizations serve the most vulnerable populations, such as African-American women and girls who don’t know they are at risk for HIV, immigrant Asian and Latina women, homeless and runaway girls, injection drug users, incarcerated women, and female partners of incarcerated men.
“Through the GENERATIONS partnership with Johnson & Johnson, these communities are developing and implementing programs that are helping to curb HIV transmission rates among girls and women,” says Suzanne Kinsky, NAF Program Officer. “The GENERATIONS program is both a reflection of the Johnson & Johnson commitment to communities and an extension of the NAF’s philosophy that the most effective responses to the HIV epidemic take place at the community level.”
For Arreana, the Girl Smart prevention program “motivated me to be the best and healthiest person I can be.” A senior in high school, Arreana says her grades are good, and after she graduates, she wants to study criminal justice and social work. She says she no longer worries that she’ll make bad choices or have to face an uncertain future. She’s focusing on the things she loves, such as dancing, playing the flute in band, and serving as president of a leadership training program at her school.
She also is sharing her knowledge with others. Today, she’s a facilitator for the Girl Smart program and an inspiration for other teens. “I tell them: This is my story, but the rest of my life is what I make it.”
Learn More:
2009 Contributions Report On-Line
Smart Girl
National AIDS Fund
GENERATIONS: Strengthening Women and Families Affected by HIV/AIDS
