Non-profit spotlights: Girls reaching out does work wonders

Girls Reaching Out Does Work Wonders

A girl contemplating her life

Young girls who have been subject to the Juvenile Justice System face problems that many cannot begin to comprehend. Whether it be the experience of an arrest and court proceedings, the threat of violence, or problems in the family or community setting, these girls often are forced to navigate a great deal of trauma. They need a place that they can go for help with these problems – a place with resources to prevent recidivism and allow them to flourish in a female-centric environment that fosters healing, education, and growth. The organization Girls Reaching Out Works Wonders (GROWW) provides just such a place.

As stated on the GROWW Program’s official site, the organization provides adolescent girls with crucial support following participation in the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court (City of New Orleans). Without support systems like GROWW, these girls would most likely face the possibility of being “detained or removed from the home because of their supervisory needs,” (City of New Orleans) or face additional tragedies that plague many youth in New Orleans like assault, gun violence, sexual exploitation, or death.

The organization understands the importance of education, safe spaces for girls, and confronting emotion. The organization and its incredible staff pursue many avenues to help young women in order to prevent recidivism, but also to better the lives of these girls in a permanent way. 

Javana Clark, a passionate social worker, GROWW coordinator, and interviewee of the podcast that accompanies this piece, is a perfect example of the care and dedication with which GROWW treats its participants. Ms. Clark speaks to the unfortunate realities of many of the young girls she has worked with. Ms. Clark shared with us the news that a shooting had occurred that had directly affected two of the girls she works with. Throughout our correspondence and interview, Ms. Clark reiterated the fact that this is one of the many factors she works to protect these girls from; during her group sessions, she’s trying to give each and every girl under her supervision “just two hours…where [they] are safe, where [they] are being looked after, where things that [they] say will not come and bite [them] in the butt.” 

She also works to help the girls with emotional trauma management through her group sessions. She employs a number of different methods and activities to help the girls work through their pain and ultimately empower them with the knowledge that they have opportunities for success, and that their past and present don’t have to limit their future. There are people like Javana Clark and organizations like GROWW that are here to help, to prevent recidivism, and to cultivate better lives for these young girls.

Whether it be therapeutic activities and sessions or getting a house for a young girl whose family was about to lose theirs, Ms. Clark does and gives absolutely everything she can to make these girls’ lives better; her passion for these girls’ futures and her dedication to their mental health and wellbeing is boundless. She reiterated to us that those who have been arrested often feel or are treated like they do not matter, and she does everything in her power to remind them that they do matter, and can do anything they set their minds to.

Girl studying (RF._.studio)

GROWW, as noted above, is very focused on education. Ms. Clark provides every resource she can to enable the girls to succeed academically, whether it be necessary technology, PSAT books, or checking in to ensure that her girls are going to school.

GROWW is an organization of extreme value that has helped many young women and their families, and Ms. Clark’s dedication to the girls under her care is profound. More information can be found on the GROWW webpage and in the podcast linked below.

Link to podcast: https://vimeo.com/546537602

Works Cited 

City of New Orleans. “Girls Reaching Out Works Wonders (GROWW).” December 3, 2019. nola.gov/juvenile-court/programs/girls-reaching-out-works-wonders/.