Welcome to PEARLS for Teen Girls!

Dear Friends,

Welcome to PEARLS for Teen Girls, a totally innovative leadership development organization serving at-risk teen girls in Milwaukee ages 11 to 18. At PEARLS, we believe that every girl is precious, with unique gifts and the potential to succeed, no matter what neighborhood she’s from or what challenges she may face.

Through weekly conversation circles, positive adult and peer relationships, a groundbreaking goal setting system and so much more, PEARLS girls learn to look inside of themselves to develop the inner strength, character, and skills that it takes to be a true leader. Recognizing that education is the key to success, PEARLS is particularly committed to increasing high school graduation and college acceptance rates of girls of color in Milwaukee. PEARLS approach is girl-centered and girl-driven and our results are real. In recent years participants have achieved these superb outcomes:

100% of PEARLS seniors graduated from high school in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

98% of PEARLS girls avoided teen pregnancy.

90% of '07 graduates were accepted to college.

As Executive Director of PEARLS, I am profoundly proud of our girls. I am also proud of the PEARLS culture that nurtures their success. PEARLS is unique for many reasons, but I think there are three primary features that set our program apart:

Consistency: PEARLS girls face many challenges in their lives, from broken homes to crumbling neighborhoods to struggling schools. But every PEARLS girl knows that once each week, like clockwork, she will gather in a safe space for a positive experience with her PEARLS sisters.

Intimacy: In a PEARLS circle girls learn to honestly express and examine the realities of their daily life for better or worse. They learn to trust and respect one another, and they develop the ability to hold confidences for their friends.

Accountability: PEARLS girls learn to be accountable to their peers and to themselves for their actions, reactions, goals and results on a weekly basis. They learn that accountability is a foundational component for success in school, work and life.

Milwaukee, like so many large cities, faces daunting social challenges, including the 7th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, pervasive central city poverty, and simply unacceptable high school drop out rates especially among children of color. That is why a program like PEARLS, proven to be effective, is so important to our community.

For the past three years, under the guidance of PEARLS’ strong Board of Directors, PEARLS has consistently grown to serve more girls. In 2007 we served over 500 girls and in 2008 we plan to serve at least 600. Of course, as a nonprofit organization, the financial support of individual donors is critical to our ability to continue. As you learn more about PEARLS, I invite you to join us in growing a new generation of women leaders by considering a tax deductible contribution to support our important work.

Sincerely,
Danae D. Davis
Executive Director