New Era Creative Space, United States

About New Era Creative Space

Mona Partner Since 2021

New Era Creative Space's (NECS) Girls EmpowerED program addresses the negative messaging that young women and girls face in our society at large. We seek to help girls build resilience and learn tools to help them live safe, thriving lives. The program meets weekly over the course of the school year. NECS trains 3 - 5 mentors from Peekskill high school to be the facilitators of the middle school program. Training covers leadership and facilitation skills, rights of girls and women, culturally responsive teaching, and using virtues to guide throughout the sessions. The mentors then meet regularly with our adult supervisor to create and develop each lesson and reflect on how the sessions are going.

The Challenge

The city of Peekskill, New York has historically been subjected to the disparities of systemic racism and segregated housing policies which have negatively impacted the people in the community. Data for the United States shows that: 1 in 3 teenage girls is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner; nearly half of students grades 7-12 reported experiencing sexual harassment; and 11.8% of females have been forced to have unwanted sexual activity. Locally, girls have told NECS of bullying and intimidation through social media, fierce pressure to “look good” and “fit in,” and additional scrutiny for Black girls – from their hair which is often deemed unruly or unprofessional, to skin color – the darker they are, the less respect they receive and the worse they are treated.

The Solution: New Era Creative Space Programs

EmpowerED Girls Leadership Program

This program serves middle and high school girls and helps them develop the knowledge, skills, and capacities to develop strong and healthy identities. It helps girls and young women navigate the pressures of social media, bullying and the pressure to look or act a certain way. It provides a safe place to talk about issues that concern them, like sexual violence and racism. Ultimately, it helps girls learn to champion their worth and demand gender equality.

NECS trains 3 – 5 mentors from the Peekskill high school to be the facilitators of the middle school program. Training covers leadership and facilitation skills, rights of girls and women, culturally responsive teaching, and using virtues to guide throughout the sessions. The mentors then meet regularly with our adult supervisor to create and develop each lesson and reflect on how the sessions are going.

How we help

Mona Foundation began supporting the EmpowerED Girls Leadership Program in 2021. The program is especially valuable at present given the added stress -- beyond the normal challenges of adolescence -- from the pandemic and heightened awareness of racial injustice.

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2024 Achievements

18 middle school and high school girls empowered
4 youth trained as mentors
6 service projects impacted 150 people
Cultural immersion trip to Starfish International in The Gambia

2025 Plans, $15,000

Continue promote the key objective of fostering leadership skills and confidence in a cohort of 25 girls
Train 3-5 mentors
Integrate monthly community service into the program
Pilot their Pathways to Careers workforce development program

Support NECS' 2025 Plans

Impact Story

Empowered to Serve

Ariana joined NECS programs while in elementary school and has participated passionately in every way. Over the years, she took part in Children’s and Youth Theater productions and the Girls EmpowerED group. Ariana rose from camper to counselor to head camp counselor. In June, she mentored the Girls Empowered group and won a youth leadership award from NECS. She began her work in the Peekskill community with the NAACP, serving as the Vice President of the Peekskill NAACP Youth Council during her early years of high school. As an officer, she helped organize a peaceful Black Lives Matter rally, created and presented an anti-racism workshop to neighboring school districts, and ran youth meetings. Since then, she has continued to be involved in several social justice activities, including her work with NECS as a youth mentor and host of the podcast “My Activist Life”, as well as a youth grant maker at Wayfarer Foundation.

Ariana was also an active member of her school community as Black Culture Club President, Science National Honor Society President, Girls Varsity Swim Team Captain, and Student Council President for the past two years. Driven by her passion for social justice and science, Ariana began studying African American Studies on the pre-medical track at Harvard University in Fall 2024. She is interested in becoming a perinatologist (a high-risk pregnancy doctor) and a future policymaker, aiming to eradicate maternal mortality disparities for women across the country. Ariana is an astounding young woman who has given back to Girls Empowered all that she received and more!