Ascensions Community Services provides psychological and community interventions to low-income families in Washington, D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8. We provide clients with the assistance they need to improve their self-concept, interpersonal relationships, and make positive contributions to their communities.
One example of our recent work stemmed from a simple gift of $100, which we used to affect a group of young women’s attitudes about themselves and the changes they experience in adolescence.
In October, myself and one of our other therapists started a group for girls ages 8-11. All of our girls live in Anacostia and go to Moten Elementary school in southeast D.C.
The $100 gift helped pay for our “Little Ladies Tea” last Wednesday in which our guest speaker was Dr. Saunders, a pediatrician who wrote a book titled Ooops, a story about a young lady beginning her menstrual cycle. Each of the girls was able to take home a book along with an “Ooops pack” for feminine care.
I was already excited about doing this presentation in this format, but it became all the more real to me in a recent therapy session with a 35 year-old single mother of four. This woman had been repeatedly abused and neglected as a child. As we were talking about her history and how her mother had not “prepared her for life,” one thing that she remarked about being most upset about is that neither her mother, nor her five older sisters, ever took the time out to explain to her her cycle and how she should take care of herself, or how she would know her period was coming.
Not only did we invite the mothers to participate in the tea last week, we also sent home information about how to start and continue this discussion–which is so important in a young ladies’ life.
This whole "period" thing seems so small to some, but it was huge to my girls and their moms. This past week, I’ve talked to several of the mothers that thanked me for bringing the doctor in and they all shared their stories of assuming starting your cycle meant you were a "woman now."
My prayer is that our message last week got through, that the girls are just girls, who now have to take special care of themselves once a month, and not "women" who should start having sex or think about having kids.
The Women’s Foundation has changed my life, which therefore helped me change the lives of others. Being a woman is great, but helping women and girls is greater!
We’re so grateful for the gifts that make this work possible, and hope that you’ll vote for us in the online vote to help fuel even more work on behalf of the women and girls we serve.
The online vote continues through February 15. Vote today.
Dr. Satira S. Streeter is the founder and clinical director of Ascensions Community Services, a 2007 Leadership Awardee and African American Women’s Giving Circle grantee.
