2007 Grant History
HerShe Group, Camp Cinderella/Cinderella Ball
Like the Cinderella of storybook fame many young girls face unthinkable family circumstances. There are scores of young girls that experience abandonment by their birth parents due to death, incarceration or a variety of mistreatments including being victimized by drug abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse. Because of these debilitating circumstances, these young women have ended up in long-term foster care. After emancipation from the foster system these young ladies are usually homeless and unprepared to care for themselves.
Camp Cinderella is a solution and more than a summer camp- it's year round program of extraordinary experiences through the arts, mentorship, exposure and education with a summer camp experience as the focal point. The Camp Cinderella program follows the guidelines for positive youth development by providing a safe environment, caring adults (mentors) and positive role models, a focused curriculum teaching the skills necessary to cope successfully in adulthood, and challenging activities to build self-esteem and leadership. Areas of training include life skills, personal & social development, leadership, self esteem, forgiveness, etiquette, college and job preparation, financial literacy, health and nutrition, relationships, effective communication, dance, poetry, and self-advocacy.
At the culmination of the camp, the girls have the opportunity to mirror the experience of Cinderella and be the stars of their very own Cinderella Ball. Political icon, Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite- Burke, and the HerShe group will present the 2007 Cinderella Ball, a black tie event. This prestigious gala will take place on Saturday, July 28th 2007 at the Museum of Natural History. The Ball will feature HerShe girls with male escorts dancing the waltz and being presented to society. At the completion of the summer phase, all participants become official members of the HerShe Group and will be matched with a mentor for a minimum of one year.
