More than 500 Teen Girls and Their Families Attend the First Sisterhood Summit.

October 5,2012

On Saturday, September 29th, hundreds of teenage girls came out to Prince George’s Community College to attend the first Sisterhood Summit: A Conversation Among Women and Girls. Joined by their mothers, teachers or other caregivers, more than 500 girls and women participated in the day-long event to be inspired, educated and transformed. Presented by the Office of the State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, in partnership with United Way of the National Capital Area (United Way NCA), the summit – themed “The Power of U” – brought together a variety of speakers, workshop facilitators, nonprofits and health service professionals to address complex issues confronting young women and teach them how to resolve conflict without violence.

The Sisterhood Summit was conceived by State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks in response to the growing number of violence-related incidents involving teen girls coming before the courts. “There are tragic cases in circuit court on a consistent basis,” Alsobrooks said. “It’s a curious trend that woman are increasingly perpetrators of violence against other women.”

Youth violence issues are not new terrain for United Way NCA. Two years ago, when stories of bullying and related teen suicides were frequently in the news, United Way NCA responded with an innovative youth violence prevention initiative, Way to P.E.A.C.E.; a collaborative approach towards helping young people build self-esteem and learn how to deal with conflict.

The Sisterhood Summit was a logical extension of this work.

“There has to be a community-wide solution to solving some of these problems,” said Bill Hanbury, President and CEO of United Way of the National Capital Area. “Particularly on issues involving young women, where violent behavior really is on the rise.”

In addition to youth services exhibitors including sports teams, faith based organizations, government services and nonprofit mentoring programs, the event also included a health screening component with HIV testing, mental health screenings and education on important health issues.

However, the primary focus of the event was the lineup of workshops for teens and parents. Covering important topics – like raising healthy teens, bullying prevention, forming healthy relationships and conflict resolution – these sessions delved into some difficult but necessary issues.

"I have anger issues,” said one young lady. “I learned that I need to think before I act."

That’s a hard admission, and a challenge that goes beyond a one day summit.

The State Attorney’s Office and United Way NCA are committed to continuing the work highlighted at the summit. The goals are to provide sustained and readily available programs and services to teens, lower the incidence of teen violence and help young women get on track – and stay on track – for a brighter future. Specifically, United Way NCA will work with member nonprofits to create more mentoring and youth development opportunities for teens in Prince George’s County, so that lessons learned from the summit can be amplified and multiplied to reach more young people in need.

"I learned I am beautiful,” said a smiling 15 year-old girl. “I have been struggling with self-esteem issues but this session taught me to keep working towards what I'm trying to be."

Read more about United Way NCA’s Youth Violence Prevention work.

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Did You Know?

In 2011, the Lamb Center, a United Way NCA member nonprofit, provided: 44,725 meals,12,952 showers, 9,531 loads of laundry, 270 AA meetings, 575 job counseling sessions, and more.

The Capital Area Food Bank reports more than 641,000 residents of the Washington region are experiencing or at risk of hunger, including more than 100,000 in Fairfax County alone.

Residents in Ward 8 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

Residents in Ward 7 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

Residents in Ward 5 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

In Ward 8, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

45.0% of residents living in Ward 8 receive food stamps.

In Ward 7, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

35.0% of residents living in Ward 7 receive food stamps.

5.0% of residents living in Ward 2 receive food stamps.

9.8% of residents in Ward 4 are unemployed.

3.2% of residents in Ward 3 are unemployed.

6.0% of residents in Ward 2 are unemployed.

In Ward 1, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

12.0% of people living in Ward 1 receive food stamps.

6.0% of people live below the poverty level in Prince William County.

9.4% of students in Prince William County drop out of high school.

More than 130,000 residents in Prince William County do not have health insurance.

8.9% of students in Montgomery County do not graduate high school.

In Montgomery County, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

6.7% of people live below the poverty level in Montgomery County.

13.9% of students in Prince George's County do not graduate high school.

7.8% of people live below the poverty level in Prince George’s County.

In Prince George's County, approximately 1 in 4 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

30,000 children in Northern Virginia live in poverty.

In Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In seven out of the eight wards in the city, residents are closer to fast food restaurants than large grocery stores, which could have a negative impact on residents’ health.

17.2% of residents in the District of Columbia live below the poverty level.

19.0% of residents in the District of Columbia receive food stamps.

11.9% of residents in the District of Columbia are unemployed.

22.0% of students in the District of Columbia do not graduate high school.

32% of children live below the poverty level in the District of Columbia.

In the District of Columbia, nearly 1 in 2 children under 18 is at the risk of hunger.

12.5% of residents living in Maryland do not graduate high school.

9.2% of people live below the poverty level in Maryland.

Last year 2-1-1 Maryland answered 240,000 calls around basic needs such as food, shelter, eviction prevention and financial assistance for prescriptions

Ward 8 public schools have the lowest average share of students testing at required standards, only 33% in reading and 32% in math.

Over 28% of residents living in Ward 8 are unemployed.

Nearly 20% of people living in Ward 7 are unemployed.

67% of children living in Ward 6 are below the poverty level.

15.8% of people living in Ward 5 are unemployed.

There are more than 40,000 uninsured residents living in Loudoun County.

6.1% of students living in Loudoun County drop out of high school.

Nearly 8,000 people in Loudoun County live on an income of $20,000 to support a family of four.

10.6% of people in Fairfax County do not have health insurance.

5.6% of people live below the poverty level in Fairfax County.

7.9% of students living in Fairfax County drop out of high school.

10.5% of children in Arlington County live below the poverty level.

9.4% of students in Arlington County drop out of high school.

More than 3,000 people in Northern Virginia are homeless, 10% of these live in Alexandria, Virginia.

In the past year, 2-1-1 has answered approximately 632,000 calls from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia from residents seeking services.

Last year 2-1-1 Maryland answered 240,000 calls around basic needs such as food, shelter, eviction prevention and financial assistance for prescriptions.

In Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In Prince George's County, approximately 1 in 4 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In Montgomery County, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In the District of Columbia, nearly 1 in 2 children under 18 is at the risk of hunger.

Kids who attend a high quality preschool are more likely to graduate from high school and have higher lifetime earnings.

Every $1 invested in high quality early childhood education saves taxpayers $7.

Upon entering first grade, the average middle-class child has spent 1,000 to 1,700 hours of reading time with picture books; a low-income child averages just 25 hours.

Food stamps last an average of 2 1/2 weeks.

By age three, middle-class children have a vocabulary of about 1,100 words compared to 525 words for low-income children.

According to the Partnership for America's Economic Success, if 50 first graders enter school with reading problems, 44 of them will still have difficulties reading in the fourth grade.

The 2009/2010 official federal poverty level for a family of four is an annual household income of $22,050. 185% of poverty is $40,792, a level at which people still struggle with hunger.

The Rand Corporation states that 90% of a person's brain growth happens before the age of 3.

More than 130,000 residents in Prince William County do not have health insurance.

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