Deepen young women’s understanding of—and power to shift and alter—the social conditions and cultural perceptions that promote and perpetuate commercial sexual exploitation.

Why we care: The trafficking of youth is often erroneously perceived to be a problem that doesn’t exist in the United States.

How we’re solving this: GEMS’ Youth Leadership program uses a curriculum created by survivors to help victims become leaders and advocates for themselves and their peers in their communities.

Youth Leadership participants are individually matched with a staff member of the Youth Outreach Team who is trained to provide peer counseling. Mentors meet Youth Leadership participants once a week to discuss class work, assignments, and various other personal and professional concerns. Additionally, GEMS’ supportive and dedicated staff members work individually with Youth Leadership participants to build their public speaking and community-organizing skills.

Youth Leaders are also the agency’s future Youth Outreach Workers. These young leaders identify and connect with commercially sexually exploited youth in residential and detention facilities across New York City, providing preventive education to girls and young women at risk for becoming involved in the commercial sex industry and those who need services. Youth Leaders also serve as advocates generating awareness of commercial sexual exploitation by engaging and educating the public. As Youth Leaders, members receive stipends for attending program activities that foster positive youth leadership skills.

The program supports at least 15 members a year and accepts approximately 5 members per semester, allowing more members to become future leaders in the fight to end commercial sexual exploitation. We need additional financial support to expand the program, ensuring that all girls and young women who come to GEMS have the opportunity to succeed.

GEMS believes that, with the right opportunities within reach, commercially sexually exploited girls and young women can overcome the complex web of contributing factors that perpetuate commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking, including racism, poverty, gender-based violence, and the criminalization of youth. Through the individual success of GEMS’ members and their mentoring roles at the agency, families break cycles of abuse. Educated and empowered youth are armed with the tools necessary to ascend from poverty, creating, in turn, more equitable and just communities.