How PEARLS Helped Me Unveil My Authentic Self
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United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County

How PEARLS Helped Me Unveil My Authentic Self

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May 10, 2016

Written by: Nichelle Montriel, Manpower

I discovered PEARLS in 2004 with the help of my older sister. Initially, I was a bit hesitant to join due to my lack of desire to socialize with other teen girls my age. To my surprise, the first session was engaging and I felt instant gratification. After attending several sessions, I became inspired to help other girls and officially joined the organization as a Teen Facilitator. As a Teen Facilitator, I helped create dynamic curricula and conducted engaging group sessions with girls who ranged in age from 12 – 14 years old. I took on this opportunity because I wanted to give another girl what the staff at PEARLS gave to me; a sense of family, love and support.

PEARLS for Teen Girls, a proud program partner of United Way, played an intricate part in my personal development by creating a platform to help me unveil my authentic self. Through PEARLS custom-designed program that includes the evidence-based curricula Making Proud Choices, PEARLS skillfully crafted sessions focusing on the importance of self-love, healthy relationships and making informed decisions regarding sex. To address these topics, PEARLS created an environment where my fellow teen girls and I felt safe to openly discuss sensitive issues that we faced during those trying adolescent years.

The PEARLS program has been funded by United Way since the Healthy Youth Initiative started in 2001. The work PEARLS has done since, has made an incredible impact on young girls in our community. PEARLS has a strong focus on helping at-risk girls discover their inherent talents which helps them realize that they too have unique gifts to share with the world.

PEARLS has a track record that proves their curriculum works. Recent statics show that 99.9% of girls avoided teen pregnancy, 96.9% graduated high school and 96.7% were accepted into at least one college. With much gratitude, I am a PEARLS Girl.

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