Holistic Development Model

Provides comprehensive health and wellness programming including yoga, dance, meditation, drumming, sports, nutrition education, on-site nursing, CSA access, rooftop gardening, a smoothie bar, and meals. The Center for Wellbeing & Happiness also hosts educational classes for families and new parents and averages 350 adult visits per month.

Provides STEM-focused programming in dedicated facilities including Lamarr-Lovelace Labs, a 64-seat East Village Planetarium for dome-based astrophysics and earth/space science education, and a robotics Maker Shop. Girls engage in hands-on engineering, earth and sky science, and interact with STEM role models to build confidence in male-dominated fields.

Runs a weekly food pantry through the Center for Wellbeing & Happiness that serves over 2,000 neighbors monthly, expanding access to food and wellness resources for the broader Lower East Side community.

Runs two key facilities: the Center for Community, New York City’s first and only Girls Club facility on Avenue D, and the Center for Wellbeing & Happiness, opened in 2022, which provides healing-centered wellness services to youth, families, and adults of all ages and genders on the Lower East Side. The combined 35,000 square foot space includes specialized areas such as a robotics Maker Shop, STEM lab, art school, digital media center, sound studio, design studio, rooftop farm, culinary education center, and planetarium.

Offers instruction and production opportunities in digital photography, video production, audio engineering, sound design, graphic design, web design, filmmaking, and editing through the Digital Media Lab and screening room. Programs include Page to the Stage for poetry development, Frequency Gardens for audio storytelling, and film festivals for public audiences. Also teaches sewing, quilting, natural dyeing, and screenprinting.

Offers year-round programming for girls and gender-expansive youth ages 8 to 23, including middle and high school students, with free after-school, weekend, and summer activities in STEM, arts, digital media, music, wellness, leadership, and college and career exploration. Programming prioritizes local community residents and includes application or registration processes for age-specific cohorts.

Provides members with employment experience, entrepreneurial training, mentorship, resource access, and college and career preparation services to build social capital and support post-secondary success.

Organizes fundraisers and awards student scholarships as part of its ongoing programming to support youth development and education.

Conducted baseline research and published the "Still I Rise" report documenting conditions for Black women and girls in Westchester County across education, health, justice, and economic domains, building a coalition of over 25 stakeholders to support improvement efforts.

Organizes an entrepreneurship network and mixer events to foster collaboration, idea-sharing, and business development among women entrepreneurs and leaders of color.

Organizes an annual United Nations Day event to promote global awareness and civic engagement among youth.

Hosts an annual Kwanzaa celebration as part of its cultural programming, first held at the Yonkers YWCA, to promote community and heritage.

Organizes the Health and Girl Power Forum and an annual health symposium featuring a vendor marketplace, both signature events focused on health, empowerment, and advocacy for women and girls of color, established in Yonkers, NY.

Convenes quarterly themed membership meetings as part of ongoing programming to engage members and stakeholders in mission-aligned activities.

Produces mission-driven public awareness campaigns and signature events through volunteer committees to advance advocacy on issues affecting women and girls of color.

Runs a year-round STEAM Academy and annual STEAM Camp for girls of color, now in its 16th year, offering advanced instruction, leadership development, field trips, and role model exposure; evolved from a decade-plus summer STEM camp into sustained programming.

Offers a membership program for organizations and businesses to engage in collective impact workgroups, programs, and events that advance equity and community development.

Hosts the International Day of the Girl Conference, bringing together young women from Westchester and the Hudson Valley for civic engagement, wellness, cultural celebration, and scientific exploration.