The following is the speech Andrea Powell, FAIR Fund‘s executive director and co-founder, gave at the 2007 Leadership Awards celebration last night. FAIR Fund was a 2007 Leadership Awardee, and winner of The Women’s Foundation’s first online vote.
First, let me begin by thanking Washington Area Women’s Foundation for their tremendous efforts to not only support the work that we here at FAIR Fund do, but also in building such a strong and stable bridge between women philanthropists and women’s and girl’s programs here in the District of Columbia.
And, I would like to thank a few close FAIR Fund supporters: Caroline Ramsay Merriam, Katy Love and Sarah Stewart. And, as I stand here this evening representing FAIR Fund’s seven staff and 16 board members, and the 1,500 D.C. teen girls and boys we serve, I would like to thank Amelia Korangy, our Development and Outreach Officer, who has worked hard to help us get here this evening.
What does the Washington Area Women’s Foundation Leadership Award mean to FAIR Fund?
Of course, the $15,000 certainly assists us in the immediate future and we sincerely needed and benefit from it.
But, there is so much more to this award. For FAIR Fund, this award is in part validation for our mission in creating chances for D.C. girls to lead safer, healthier, and happier lives.
Furthermore, this award opens the door for FAIR Fund to become a stronger and more recognized member of the vibrant women and girl’s movement here in Washington, D.C.
Teachers have reported to FAIR Fund staff that they know teen girls in their classes who are being prostituted and exploited right now, and they are not sure what to do.
That they know girls who trade sex in exchange for food or shoes.
Approximately 30 girls aged 12 to 18 are identified as victims of commercial sexual exploitation, often via prostitution, in D.C. each month. But, from what we have seen as members of the D.C. Anti Trafficking Task Force and from what we have heard from so many teen girls who participate in our program, this number is only small fraction of the number of girls out there who need our help. Their teachers and families also need our help in understanding these girls and getting them the help they need.
I want to share with you the story of one young girl assisted through FAIR Fund’s primer program for girls in D.C called Tell Your Friends.
Ellie is 15 years old and I first met her while teaching a small group of D.C. youth about protecting themselves from human trafficking. Ellie herself was recently turned out of her house by her father, who abused her and her mother. She was in and out of school and one night joined me in learning about human trafficking at a teen workshop.
At first, I am pretty sure Ellie didn’t want to be there and certainly didn’t like me. But, what I think captured her attention was an activity where we ask the girls and boys to draw what they think prostitution looks like here in D.C. All she drew were a pair of eyes looking down and a pair of green glittery shoes. This 15-year-old girl told me that the eyes were looking down because a “prostitute” was not allowed to look her pimp in the eyes. So, it is safer for “girls like here” to just look down all the time.
We were able to help Ellie get connected to a counselor and into a safe space and we continued to educate her about not only how she can protect herself but even tell her girlfriends about the truth about teen prostitution and human trafficking.
Moving forward, FAIR Fund has three main goals this year with our work to promote the safety of women and girls here in D.C.
- First, we have met with over 600 youth, mainly girls, in the D.C. schools and we recognize that the problem of teen victimization via commercial sex is truly pervasive and there is a need for FAIR Fund to take on professional counselors to assist these teens as soon as they reach out to us.
- Second, we aim to create safe spaces for support and education that will be accessible for D.C. teens to share their experiences and protect themselves from human trafficking.
- And, third, we are working right now with the Superintendent’s office to incorporate our youth anti-trafficking curriculum into the D.C. schools’ continuing education series for teachers. Together with these teachers, the D.C. Public School officials, the youth we have educated in the schools, and the young women university students who volunteer with FAIR Fund here in D.C., we can assist these girls and prevent future exploitation. We will keep the network informed about the April launch of our video to educate teens about human trafficking and teen prostitution here in D.C.
Thank you, Washington Area Women’s Foundation, for truly opening the door and giving FAIR Fund a new chance to connect to your amazing and dedicated network of women’s rights leaders across Washington, D.C.
Andrea Powell is the executive director and co-founder of FAIR Fund, a 2007 Leadership Awardee of The Women’s Foundation.
Interested in learning more about how you can get involved in supporting groups like FAIR Fund, and others, who make sure that girls and women are looking up to a bright future in the Washington metropolitan region? There’s a place for everyone at The Women’s Foundation. Find yours today.
