M.E.A.N. Girls Empowerment™ fosters a safe space for girls who may be impacted by the growing pains of bullying, aggression and volience that largely affects impoverished and low income communities.
WHO ARE WE
Founded in 2014, starting with just five girls, Manage Emotions Avoid Negativity Girls Inc. affectionately known as M.E.A.N. Girls Empowerment™ is a charitable, tax exempt 501(c)3 non-profit organization, serving the Chicagoland area. Our organization aims to prevent bullying; and we strive to empower young ladies to live a positive healthy lifestyle and achieve their personal best.
M.E.A.N. Girls Empowerment is the only Chicago based “Girls Mentoring Program” exclusively developed to help tackle bullying by educating girls; and the organization was recognized as a 2022 CHAMPION by the Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center (PNBPC) for its dedication to promoting change and advocating for bullying prevention. Additionally, M.E.A.N. Girls Empowerment received the 2023 Unity Award by (PNBPC) for promoting bullying prevention in the community. To date, more than 1500+ girls have benefitted from MGE programs.
Our mission is to empower girls ages 8 to 18 to avoid negativity, build self-confidence, and pursue their goals through perseverance, courage, and creativity. We carry out our work through community-based mentoring programs that operate every spring and fall at local schools, libraries, churches, and community centers.
Mission
Vision
To create a safe supportive space for young ladies that are dealing with bullying, aggression, harassment, violence, abuse, and related issues while empowering those young ladies to be advocates for change in the community.
Our Core Values
Motivate
Inspire girls to make positive life choices that align with their goals and values, fostering resilience and growth.
Empower
Encourage girls to take action, find their voice, and advocate for themselves and others in their communities.
Affirm
Celebrate each girl's unique individuality and strengths, promoting self-acceptance and authenticity.
Nurture
Build confidence and self-esteem by creating supportive environments and offering tools for emotional well-being and personal development.
M.E.A.N. Girls Empowerment™ fosters a safe space for girls who may be impacted by the growing pains of bullying, aggression and crime that largely affects impoverished and low income communities.
M.E.A.N. Girls Empowerment™ fosters a safe space for girls who may be impacted by the growing pains of bullying, aggression and crime that largely affects impoverished and low income communities.
Our work has been recognized by esteemed organizations, including funding from the Oprah Winfrey Foundation and The Girls Opportunity Alliance through the Obama Foundation. We are also proud of our initiatives, such as the Girls Health Matters program, which led to the declaration of April 5th as Girls Health Matters Day by Illinois Governor, J.B Pritzker and the establishment of M.E.A.N Girls Day on June 1 through a proclamation from the Village of South Holland.
The Need & Problem
Based on statistics from stopbullying.gov, 28% of U.S. students in 6th-12th grade have experienced bullying and just under 20% of high school students were bullied on school property. Girls make up 20.2% of those cases (CDC, 2019 data). The research further indicates that bullying in school not only affects students’ physical, emotional, and psychosocial lives, it also affects their academic achievements and their classwork directly.
BULLYING NATIONWIDE
Research has shown that girls are more likely to be victims of bullying than boys. (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019 ) https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/stats.asp
Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year. Data and statistics have been compiled from: https://worldofchildren.org/children-issues/bullying/
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bullying has been identified as a major public health concern that demands attention, research over the years has shown that bullying behavior and its effects can lead to long-term health issues and without proper treatment, bullying behavior is likely to continue into adulthood. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/yv/bullying-factsheet508.pdf
The research results indicated that bullying in school not only affects students’ physical, emotional, and psychosocial lives, it is also found to affect their academic achievements and their classwork directly. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1144634.pdf
23% of African-American students, 23% of Caucasian students, 16% of Hispanic students, and 7% of Asian students report being bullied at school (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019)
Research has shown black females, grades 9-12, were 60 percent more likely to attempt suicide in 2019, as compared to non-Hispanic white females of the same age. JAMA Network June 14, 2021. Temporal Trends in Suicidal Ideation and Attempts Among US Adolescents by Sex and Race/Ethnicity, 1991-2019 | Adolescent Medicine | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network
Bullied students reported that bullying occurred in the following places: the hallway or stairwell at school (43%), inside the classroom (42%), in the cafeteria (27%), outside on school grounds (22%), online or by text (15%), in the bathroom or locker room (12%), and on the school bus (8%).
70.1% of LGBTQ students were verbally bullied (e.g., called names, threatened) in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 59.1% because of their gender expression, and 53.2% based on gender (Kosciw, Greytak, Zongrone, Clark, & Truong, 2018)
ILLINOIS FACTS ABOUT BULLYING
19.9 percent of Illinois high school students were bullied on school property in 2019, while another 16 percent reported being cyberbullied. Both were above the U.S. average.
7.5 percent of Illinois high school students reported being in a fight on school property in 2019, with 9.5 percent reporting they were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property.
9.1 percent of Illinois high school students reported skipping school at least once in the last 30 days due to concerns for their safety.
16.6 percent of Illinois high school students seriously considered suicide, and 10.2 percent attempted suicide.
Source: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2019 results of their biennial Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS).
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