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Nia-Imani Youth & Family Development Center
“SISTAS” Girls Club Project

(Strong, Intelligent, Successful, Teens, Achieving a Sensational Life!)

The idea of an Afrocentric, teenaged girls group was borne out of our awareness of the demographics of teens in the neighborhood where Kwanzaa Community Church is located. Research showed us that teen girls in the community are most likely low-income, African American, in a single parent household and not likely to graduate from high school. Further, they are more likely to become teenaged mothers, with the father of the child often significantly older than they are. Their parent may have one or more low-paying jobs, spending many hours away from home—many unable to pay utility bills or own a vehicle.

Because these situations are difficult to deal with, many of these young women in the community live with grief and insecurity on a daily basis. They are lonely and seek a feeling of family and belonging. This is a gap that Kwanzaa Community Church has helped bridge. Through funding from the McKnight Foundation, the girl’s group “SISTAS” (Strong, Intelligent, Successful, Teens, Achieving a Sensational Life!) was created. The program is a part of Kwanzaa Community Church’s Nia-Imani Youth and Family Development Center, whose mission is to increase the success capacity of African American families in the Hawthorne/Jordan neighborhoods.

SISTAS is a caring and sharing program where girls ages 11-18 gather to share life stories, receive life-enhancing mentorship from college age students, share sorrows, joys and concerns while being equipped with vital life skills. Topics were covered in areas such as sexual health information, basic hygiene, critical problem-solving and building a sense of community. SISTAS is a place where young women don't have to be lonely and alone, where unity is expected and where creativity is celebrated and uniqueness is glorified.

Goals of the program are to:

	empower, inspire, motivate and encourage young African American women to build positive resiliency strategies and vital life skills;
	provide a supportive mentoring environment for participants and their families; and to
	enhance participants’ ability to make healthy life choices by increasing their level of self-esteem and awareness.

SISTAS meets once a week for four ten-week sessions. In the past year, the group has served 20-35 young women at Kwanzaa Community Church and Nellie Stone Johnson Public School.

Each SISTAS session includes:

	A check-in circle where each SISTA member talked about her week and any issue that needed sharing, including family and school problems, joys, concerns and celebrations.
	A praise circle where each SISTA praised herself for her accomplishments
	A mini-workshop on one of the above topics, including a moment for meditation and cultural affirmation.
	A closing ritual designed to embrace each SISTA, affirm their beauty, power and purpose and encourage further growth. Fun projects included artistic expression, field trips, retreats and giggle time.
	One-on-one mentoring.
	Planning and implementing community-based service-learning opportunities.