Girls Leading Girls COVID Response Program for Women & Girls Violence Survivors
Due to the overwhelming negative impact COVID has had on women and girls, we at Girls Leading Girls have started the planning phase for a new program designed to help gender-based violence survivors.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with higher rates of domestic violence and abuse – an increase as high as 40 percent.” - According to UN Women.
Program Name: Career Training and Leadership Job Placement Program for Gender-Based Violence Survivors
What is this program?
Recruitment, training, placement program for women domestic violence survivors 15+
Trauma-informed training on different kinds of abuse for girls in our program and women coaches including economic abuse awareness and prevention
Paid part-time youth sport coaching positions for women domestic violence survivors year-round seeking entry or re-entry into the workforce on a part-time basis
Expansion of a program model in creating economic independence, abuse awareness, and prevention for women and girls across California within the next two years reaching over 400 women and 16,000 girls in four cities
Why?
Women are leaving the workforce at an alarming rate due to COVID, having to take care of their children and families thus losing economic independence.
There has been an increase in domestic violence against women and youth because of COVID: “The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with higher rates of domestic violence and abuse – an increase as high as 40 percent.” - According to UN Women
Women and children are more isolated due to COVID restrictions, making them more vulnerable to abuse and unable to seek support.
There is a general lack of supply of women youth sport coaches to meet the growing demand for our programs. Less than 20% of youth sport coaches in the USA are women.
How?
The first year of our program will be a pilot program in the Bay Area to test out the program and focus on quality over quantity.
In the first year, we will hire 50 women coaches impacting 2,000 girls in the Bay Area.
Our program partners are Futures Without Violence. They will help us create a training program designed specifically for domestic violence survivors as part of the programming for women coaches and girls participating in our programs. Futures Without Violence operates in 5 cities in the USA, training over 100,000 abuse health care professionals every year domestically and internationally. Our collaboration with them will continue through the expansion phase of this program and beyond, helping other youth sports-based organizations incorporate our model of domestic violence prevention and economic support for women and girls. La Casa De Las Madres is our other program partner. They work in San Francisco providing crisis support for women domestic violence victims working with over 15,000 women and girls every year. They will be collaborating with us on the recruitment and training component of this project to help provide access and reach to women that have or are currently experiencing domestic violence in the Bay Area
Our team of experts: Brianna Russell, founder & CEO of GLG, began her career as a Peace Corps Business Advisor working with women in Vanuatu, including women and girls facing domestic violence, through the creation of small businesses, peer micro-lending, and sports programming. She was able to increase their economic independence and overall quality of life for themselves, their families, and their communities. Lusik Gasparyan is a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) expert and consultant. She specializes in race, gender, and disability rights and their intersections. She received her Juris Doctor and a certificate in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University. She works with survivors of domestic violence, foster youth, unaccompanied minors, and trafficking survivors. Linda Boessenecker is our gender programming advisor. She has over 30 years of executive-level experience working in girl-focused programming as the CEO of Girls Inc. and Girl Scouts Bay Area chapters.
In the second year, we will expand the Bay Area model to 3 new cities in California: Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose. We will also hire 100 women coaches in each city, including the Bay Area impacting 4,000 girls, totaling an impact of 400 trained and employed women coaches and 16,000 girls participating in our programs.
As part of the process, we will create a tech platform and app that supports the recruitment, training, mentoring, and evaluation of the women coaches that go through our program
“Financial instability is one of the greatest reasons why, after gaining freedom, a woman who experiences battering has limited choices and may ultimately acquiesce to her partner’s attempts to reconcile.” William & Mary Journal of Women and the Law, 2014.
“Gender-based violence: Financial independence and economic empowerment key to survivors' recovery.” United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Want to help?
Email us at Brianna@girlsleadinggirls.org to join our team of program advisors and partners, to provide funding to this new program, to volunteer your time or expertise, or to learn more.
Resources
Radical Visions for Safety for Girls By Girls
Alliance for Girls
JAMA Pediatrics report on Coaching Boys Into Men (Futures Without Violence)
An Athletic Coach–Delivered Middle School Gender Violence Prevention Program A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial
Coaching through a Gender Lens: Maximizing Girls’ Play and Potential
Women’s Sports Foundation