Justice for Girls Coalition of Washington State

Program DevelopmentOffered online Girls Advocacy & Impact Network (GAIN) Programming. GAIN equipped girls with tools, support and skills they need to effectively influence the policies that directly impact their lives. Facilitated by youth of color, the GAIN program provided advocacy training to 20 members in Pierce, King and Yakima counties. Offered the Skills for Healing, Inclusion, and Nurturing Empowerment for Girls* (SHINE) program. SHINE disrupts the gendered and racialized truancy-related pathways that push girls into court contact by providing girls an opportunity to learn about their identity, values, and self-worth, and to build skills with and from others who look like them and have similar cultural identities. They have access to crisis support and mental health assistance as well. We currently offer a girls group at Foss High School in Tacoma 2023/2024 school year.

AdvocacyDuring the 2023 legislative session, JFGs key policy priorities were:Improve and expand prevention, diversion and discharge services for girls involved in- or at risk of becoming involved in WA state public systems including child welfare, housing, behavioral health and/or juvenile justice.Promote safe and inclusive school communities for girls and expand youth development funding for girl-centered, racially equitable programming.Address the mental health crisis using a girl-centered racial equity lens.Continued on Schedule O...

JFGs Training & Assessment EffortsWe hosted our ninth annual summit, Beyond Pink. JFGs Online Training and Beyond Pink Summit are Clock Hour Certified! We had 250 folks register from 47 cities in 14 states who work in 92 different systems representing more than 800,000 girls under 18 in WA state. Dr. Nina Walker keynote the gathering. She is the founder of RAGOH Speaks LLC, an educational and research consultancy focused on combating the disproportionate exploitation of Black girls through sex trafficking and equipping schools/communities to play a role in prevention. Beyond Pink: Uplifting the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth provided a rare and vitally important opportunity to explore: Restorative justice practicesCentering girl* voiceCommunity and girl* empowermentCulturally affirming care and healingContinued on Schedule O...