GGE’s after-school and youth organizing programs provide education, resources, and information intended to support youth in their schools and communities.
Sisters in Strength
Sisters in Strength (SIS) is a youth organizing program in social justice education for young women of color who are entering 10th or 11th grade, and takes place over two years. Participants are typically women between the ages of 15 and 18 years who are survivors of gender-based violence.[2] SIS is a paid internship, in which each member works with another student in the Master of Social Work degree program. In one project, SIS participants learned about Title IX’s interdiction of gender-based discrimination and the requirement for each School to have a Title IX coordinator to ensure compliance. They conducted a project in which they made cold calls to 200 New City schools, asking who was the mandatory Title IX coordinator. They then presented the disappointing results of their study to the Department of Education.[3] On April 28, 2016, Joanne N. Smith, founder and Executive Director of Girls for Gender Equity, presented the Black Girl Bill of Rights[4] to the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls at the first Caucus Symposium, "Barriers and Pathways to Success for Black Women and Girls" in the Member’s Room, Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building.
The Coalition for Gender Equity in Schools
The Coalition for Gender Equity in Schools' (CGES) mission is to end sexual harassment and violence in schools by empowering young people to speak up and fight against negative, normalized behavior, including offensive or harmful comments, LGBT+ bullying, and unwanted/non-consensual touches. GGE is the lead organizer of this alliance of students, teachers, parents, and other school community members who are focused on changing the culture of schools and creating a sense of community that is rooted in mutual respect.[5]
Urban Leaders Academy
Urban Leaders Academy (ULA) is a holistic after-school program dedicated to advancing the values, ethics, determination, and leadership skills of junior high school students[citation needed]
Young Women’s Initiative
In 2015, Girls for Gender Equity played a role in helping the City Council of New York create the Young Women's Initiative as a counterpart to the Young Men's Initiative. Mayor Michael Bloomberg started this initiative in 2011, with the intention to offer equal opportunities to Black and Latino men and boys in southeast Queens, northern Manhattan, the South Bronx, and Staten Island’s North Shore.[6] In a press release, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito called YWI "the first coalition in the United States to tackle the systemic gender-based inequality."[7]
GGE in the media
Anita documentary
GGE's Sisters in Strength were featured in a segment of Oscar-winning director Freida Mock’s documentary Anita to feature their efforts on gender issues.[8] The film tells the story of Anita Hill’s fight against sexual harassment in the workplace and her heroic testimony against U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Clarence Thomas.[9]
On May 20, 2012, several of GGE's youth organizers joined Melissa Harris-Perry on a panel to discuss the different forms of feminism.[11] On August 19, 2012, Girls for Gender Equity’s Natasha Adams joined Melissa Harris-Perry to discuss the negative campaigning of the 2012 election cycle and the ways young people were reacting.[12] On November 24, 2012, GGE Youth Organizer Emily Carpenter, of Girls For Gender Equity, joined Melissa Harris-Perry to discuss what President Obama’s second term meant to her, as a young Black woman.[13]
On May 20, 2016, Melissa Harris-Perry was a guest on the 2016 Power Players week of Jeopardy! and played in support of Girls for Gender Equity.[14]
On February 26, 2016, Joanne Smith was recognized by Black Women's Blueprint at their annual Mother Tongue Monologue: A Praise Song for Black Girls Reclaiming Our Mother's Bones for her revolutionary work at GGE.[16]
Amtrak Pioneer Award
In 2016, Joanne Smith was one of the winners of The Amtrak Pioneer Award, which honors African Americans who have made positive contributions to communities in Brooklyn.[17]
1804 Haitian-American Change Maker
On March 21, 2015, Joanne Smith was recognized by the Haitian Round Table 1804 as a Haitian American Changemaker for making influential changes in her community.[18]
On May 23, 2013, Joanne Smith was recognized by becoming one of New York’s New Abolitionists for her support in fighting against human trafficking.[20]
Grio Award
In 2013, GGE's Community Organizer Nefertiti Martin and Youth Organizer Emily Carpenter were included in the 4th annual Grio Top 100 African American History Makers list for “embodying the notable traits of their generation: creativity, fearlessness, and a powerful belief that each individual can change the world. Nefertiti has practiced her activism as a member of several organizations, including FIERCE, the Hetrick-Martin Institute, In the Life Media, the Lesbian Cancer Initiative, and Theatre Askew Youth Performance Experience, as well as Girls for Gender Equity.”[21]
The New York Women’s Foundation Neighborhood Leadership Award
On October 16, 2012, the New York Women’s Foundation recognized Smith with a Neighborhood Leadership Award.[22]
The French-American Foundation Young Leaders Program
In 2012, Smith was recognized by the French American Foundation's Young Leaders Program for her work.[23]
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