GEMS Brochure 2012

ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY

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GEMS' more than 13 years of direct service experience with domestically trafficked and commercially sexually exploited girls and young women has resulted in an unparalleled knowledge base.

YOUTH PRESENTATIONS & WORKSHOPS Our survivor-led education program raises awareness about the realities of commercial sexual exploitation, provides strategies to identify situations that may lead to exploitation and trafficking, and connects victims of CSEC to services.

TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Our professional development program trains service providers, law enforcement, and legal professionals to identify signs of exploitation, develop intervention techniques for traumatized clients, and assist girls and young women in escaping commercial sexual exploitation.

GET INVOLVED GEMS relies on the generous support, participation, and encouragement we receive from our community. There are many ways to be a part of GEMS. 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY +

TALK about the issue with friends and family.

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JOIN us on Facebook, Twitter, and the Council of Daughters.

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SUPPORT the girls and young women at GEMS. Donate today.

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INVITE five friends to watch Very Young Girls.

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PLAN a film-viewing night or fundraiser to inspire others to end CSEC. OUR FUNDERS

Businesses & Corporations: American Society of Interior Designers, Inc. | Asha Veza | COMPUTERSHARE | Conde Nast/SELF Magazine | Dean Penn & Paper | Dunn Development Corp. | InsiderGuides, Inc. | JustGive.org | Live Nation | Makeup by Leora | Meant4More Clothing, LLC. | Teknion, Inc. | Community Organizations: American Express | Baylor Women’s League | Image Cultura | Life Preserver’s Project, Inc. | Little Red School House, Inc. | NYC Council of Daughters | Shoe Revolt | Sisters with a Purpose | Southern Connecticut State University | Sue’s Events and Entertainment | Union Rescue Mission | Faith Based Organizations: All Souls Church | Collegiate Church Corp. | Jewish Child Care Association | Marble Collegiate Church | Second Presbyterian Church |

"Like, some people know what proper

Foundations: Ashoka Foundation | The Clark Foundation | Coach Foundation | Cox Family Foundation | Disney VoluntEARS | The DNA Foundation | Dunn Family Charitable Foundation | ECPAT-USA | The Fledgling Fund | Foundation for a Just Society | Frank and Ruth E. Caruso Foundation | The Gilliam Foundation | Global Fund for Children | Heckscher Foundation | Hedge Funds Care, Inc. | Horncrest Foundation, Inc. | Katie Ford Foundation | Lilah Hilliard Fisher Foundation | Nathan Cummings Foundation | The New Horizons Foundation, Inc. | New York Women's Bar Association Foundation, Inc. | North Star Fund | NoVo Foundation | Robert W. and Amy T. Barker Foundation | The Playa Foundation | The Ronald G. Casty Family Foundation | The Ruth Turner Fund Inc. | Shamrock Foundation | The Shippy Foundation | Swanee Hunt Family Foundation | Thomas Phillips & Jane Moore Johnson Family Foundation | V-Day | The Vranos Family Foundation | The Wallace Fox Foundation | The Wyss Foundation |

love and care is, and I know because of GEMS, and I get that every single time I come here." - Holly, GEMS Member

Government Agencies: Federal: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention | Office for Victims of Crime | Office on Violence Against Women City: Department of Youth and Community Development |

MULTIMEDIA CURRICULA GEMS' nationally acclaimed videos, Making of a Girl, Breaking the Silence, and the Swinging T/Showtime-produced documentary Very Young Girls, are all excellent resources for training and public awareness.

A special thanks to our many individual donors!

Girls Educational & Mentoring Services Gem (jem): 1) a precious stone 2) an object of great beauty and worth 201 West 148th Street Ground Floor New York, NY 10039 212.926.8089 Phone 212.491.2696 Fax www.gems-girls.org development@gems-girls.org

MISSION Girls Educational and Mentoring Services' (GEMS) mission is to empower young women, ages 12–24, who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking to exit the commercial sex industry and develop to their full potential. GEMS is committed to ending commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of children by changing individual lives, transforming public perception, and revolutionizing the systems and policies that impact sexually exploited youth.

FACTS HISTORY

Founded in 1998 by Rachel Lloyd, a survivor of commercial sexual exploitation, GEMS was created in response to the overwhelming need for services targeted at sexually exploited young women.

From a one-woman kitchen table project, GEMS has grown to a nationally recognized and acclaimed organization and now is one of the largest providers of services to commercially sexually exploited and domestically trafficked youth in the US. GEMS advocates at the local, state, and national level to promote policies that support young women who have been commercially sexually exploited and domestically trafficked.

Visit us at: www.gems-girls.org Follow us at: www.twitter.com/GEMSGIRLS Like us on: www.facebook.com/girlsarenotforsale Become a Daughter at: councilofdaughters.ning.com Text to Give: Text "GEMS" to 85944 to donate $10.

Once you receive a reply text, reply “YES” to confirm your donation.

FACTS ABOUT CSEC

GEMS' SERVICES

CSEC is sexual activity involving a child in exchange for something of value, or promise thereof, to the child or another person or persons.

The child is treated as a commercial and sexual object. CSEC is a form of violence against children.

In New York City alone there are an estimated 2,200 children victimized by commercial sexual exploitation annually (OCFS 2007 Prevalence Study).

100,000–300,000 children are at risk for commercial sexual exploitation each year in the United States (Estes & Wiener, 2001).

The Department of Justice estimates the most frequent age of entry into the commercial sex industry in the United States is 12–14 years old (www.usdoj.gov).

70%–90% of commercially sexually exploited children have a history of child sexual abuse (Murphy, 1993).

GEMS is the only organization in New York State specifically designed to serve girls and young women who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking.

GEMS supports and empowers young women and girls who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking, and provides a continuum of services including: Court Advocacy and Alternatives to Incarceration Comprehensive Case Management Individual Counseling Educational, Recreational, and Therapeutic Groups Youth Employment and Leadership Training Transitional and Crisis Housing Referral Services "It's basically like we fell, and by us falling we fell into the life, like a different life, a different us, and by us coming to GEMS they are picking us up, slowly but surely, and they're just making us like gems, shiny and stronger than ever."

- Patrice, GEMS Member

We utilize a holistic, trauma-informed treatment model in our programs to address girls' and young women's complex needs throughout their transition and development. We believe that all young women have great beauty and worth, and the potential for future success. The voices and experiences of survivors are integral to the development and implementation of all GEMS' programming.

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GEMS' MISSION & HISTORY

To refer a girl or young woman to GEMS, please visit www.gems-girls.org. Please make a referral only after a client is aware of the referral and of the services that GEMS provides.