GEMS (Girls Empowering Meaningful Stories) is a New Life Centers mentoring program with a team of three mentors. Over ten young women come together weekly to support and empower each other.
The GEMS program was established 5 years ago with a small group of high school girls who met in Little Village for mentoring and support groups. The program mentors have been challenging them to achieve goals they have set for themselves.
Each year, both participants and mentors commit to attend sessions twice a week. Some of the topics that are addressed with participants are interpersonal communication, self-esteem and acceptance, solidarity, among other topics that help them heal pain, overcome difficulties, and find strength. G.E.M.S. is a safe space for girls to express their opinions, emotions and receive guidance on topics that may be difficult for them to discuss with their parents.
One of these young participants is 17-year-old Litzy Ortiz, who is currently in 12th grade. Her participation in the G.E.M.S. program has taught her many lessons and has motivated her to change many things in her life.
“I was invited to come to the GEMS program by our mentor Jazmin. I was at that time a participant at La Semilla after-school program, and we needed to use th
Having a team of mentors has allowed me to see the world from a different perspective. I have learned to support other young people with what I have learned from our mentors. I have also learned to love the community more and have strengthened my relationship with God.
My participation in this program has helped me conquer previous fears. I used to tell myself that I could not overcome this or that, and now thanks to the program and the mentors, I can say that I have overcome them.
Being part of GEMS has strengthened my ability to speak up for myself. This is something I didn’t do before. It has helped me do it at home with my family. I’ve also created a closer bond with my family.
I am currently a senior in high school, and I am interested in going to college. I want to study something related to business or be a lawyer and help other people. For now, I am focused on continuing my process and working with other young women.
My advice to other young people is to learn to be themselves, to seek help from others they trust, and to accept support when they feel they are in trouble. I am very thankful first to God and then to the GEMS program for allowing me to grow and mature in this phase of my life”, tell us Litzy Ortíz.
The GEMS program facilitates conversations, involves girls in community service activities, and promotes teamwork. With the we can foster their personal growth, enhance their skills, and empower them to become agents of change for other young women with whom they interact.
Another of our young women participating in the program is Aurora Oviedo, 16 years old and a tenth grader. Aurora came to the GEMS Program four years ago and has been a part of New Life Centers’ programs since she was a child. One of these programs is La Semilla.
“I came to GEMS before the pandemic in 2019. Since my first day, there was a very strong connection with my me
Starting high school was one of the biggest fears I learned to overcome while being part of this program. I was the only one of my former classmates in that high school and I was faced with many challenges and fears. I was afraid to make new friends, and the GEMS girls and mentors gave me the support and self-confidence to learn to be outgoing and less shy. Since then, I have made a great group of friends, and I owe a lot of that to my mentors Jazmin and Ariana.
This program focuses on empowering women for life. Now that I have learned some skills over time, I feel like I can encourage other girls to be confident and outgoing and to not be afraid to take risks and enjoy life in a healthy way. You only live once.
I am very grateful for my mentors and the other friends at GEMS, because in this place I have found myself. My advice is to not hide under a personality that limits you to grow and fighting to be who you want to be. Love yourself. That’s the most important thing. You can’t love anyone else if you don’t love yourself first, concluded Aurora.
“Since the implementation of the program, GEMS has contributed to the community, to the empowerment of more than twenty young women from neighborhoods near La Villita. Some of these women have graduated from the program and participate in other spaces supporting other women. Other girls are now part of our network of mentors in the program,” says Jazmin Torres, Director of Arise Creations/GEMS Program.
GEMS intends to continue pouring into other young women and increase the number of participants in the future. The hope is to promote a more just and equitable world where participants can develop their full potential in different areas of life. “We want to encourage them in different topics such as mentoring, leadership, personal discipline, solidarity, empathy, community contribution, economic autonomy, educational training, and other topics that allow them to grow as women,” adds Jazmín.
New Life Centers will always be committed to the well-being of the young women who participate in our programs. That is the reason why we will continue to promote the connections between GEMS participants that are critical to the healthy development of young women as they become the empowered women, we want them to be.
