A LOCAL NON- PROFIT ENTITY PROVIDES ALL-DAY, NON-RESIDENTIAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR GIRLS WHO ENCOUNTER DIFFICULT LIFE SITUATIONS.
he mission of PACE Center for Girls is to provide middle-school and high-school girls with an opportunity for a beter future through education, counseling, training and advocacy. PACE values all girls and young women, believing each one deserves an opportu-
nity to find her voice, achieve her potential and celebrate a life defined by responsi- bility, dignity, serenity and grace. The non-profit entity is a critical lifeline for girls who encounter difficult life situa-
tions. This includes the approximately 17,000 girls who are referred to Florida’s juve- nile justice system each year, representing more than 31 percent of the total juvenile justice population. Additionally, girls are at higher risk than boys for sexual abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence. One girl whose life took a huge turn for the beter when she entered PACE is Aly-
son (last name omited for privacy), who shares that “something was forcibly taken from me” when she was 7 years old. Aſterward, she felt she couldn’t trust anyone. She didn’t like being touched or
hugged, developed anger issues and began cuting herself. Her anxiety became so bad that sometimes she curled up in a ball on her classroom floor if she went to school, or oſten simply stayed home. She even atempted suicide. While her family knew what had happened, they weren’t able to offer the support she
needed. She didn’t receive any counseling, and the teachers at school ignored her. But Alyson’s life improved dramatically when she began atending the PACE Center for
Girls in Fort Myers a year ago. Thanks to counseling and medication, her anxiety atacks happen only once or twice a week, instead of two to three times a day. Now a confident and charismatic 16-year-old, Alyson excels at her studies and is friends
with the other PACE Girls, as they are called. She plans to atend college and hopes to visit Japan someday. “I’m not in a hurry to grow up,” she says, “but I’m in a hurry to put myself out there.
I won’t be a victim. I’ve got a future, and I’ve got to grow into it and be ready for it, and PACE is helping me do that.” PACE began in 1985 with one center in Jacksonville serving 10 girls. Today, PACE has 19
centers throughout Florida that serve over 2,000 girls each year. PACE has worked with more than 37,000 girls since its inception. Because of its success, PACE serves as a national model for reducing recidivism and
improving school success. Approximately 28 percent of PACE Girls had a prior arrest, and 71 percent were failing
one or more classes. Aſter atending PACE, 90 percent are not involved with the criminal justice system within one year of leaving the program, and 87 percent improve academi- cally. In comparison, just 25 percent of the girls who enter a residential juvenile or criminal
JULY - OCTOBER 17
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48