Improving Communities

Community leadership honored in Washington D.C.

In Phoenix, the Girl Scouts—Arizona Cactus-Pine Council, Inc., is providing a unique and educational prevention program for underage females who have been sexually exploited and are incarcerated at the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections’ Black Canyon School.

As the result of a partnership formed through the Innocence Lost Phoenix Initiative, the Girl Scouts—Arizona Cactus-Pine Council partnered with the Department of Juvenile Corrections to address a population of prostituted children.

In an effort to reach young girls, the Arizona Cactus-Pine Council created the Adelante Jovencitas (Young Women Moving Forward) program, a mentorship effort intended to help “build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place.”

The Girl Scouts collaborated with other agencies and Arizona State University’s College of Education and Service Learning program in the formation of Adelante Jovencitas, which provides girls the tools they need to solve problems relating to education, health, homelessness, violence and crime, substance abuse, sexual exploitation, and gang violence.

Adelante Jovencitas has three primary components, including a non-traditional Girl Scout program that operates within the juvenile corrections systems and group homes; a transitional mentoring program that works with girls before and after their release; and a community troop that serves girls from the community and various justice system housing placements.

The Girl Scouts—Arizona Cactus-Pine Council, Inc. is instrumental in working alongside governmental organizations to combat the sexual exploitation of young females.

FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award 2010 Recipient is Girl Scouts-Arizona-Cactus-Pine Council, Inc.

PHOENIX, AZ—Phoenix FBI Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Nathan Thomas Gray announced today the Girl Scouts-Arizona-Cactus-Pine Council, Inc., is the 2010 recipient of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award. Each FBI field office selects one individual or organization each year to receive this prestigious award.

Since 1990, the Director's Community Leadership Award has been a principle means for the FBI to publicly recognize the achievements of individuals and organizations who make extraordinary contributions to crime and violence prevention and education in their communities.

The Girls Scouts-Arizona-Cactus-Pine Council, Inc., has taken a creative approach to addressing underage females who have been sexually exploited and are incarcerated for juvenile related offenses at the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections Black Canyon for Girls. A program called the “Adelante Jovencitas” (Spanish for "Young Women Moving Forward") was created with the assistance of the Arizona State University's College of Education and Service Learning Programs.

This program provides a 16-week school based course, a mentoring program, and a community troop that serves girls from both the community and various justice system housing placements. The goal is to break the dangerous cycle these girls find themselves in by addressing issues of crime and violence, education, gangs, health, homelessness, sexual exploitation, and substance abuse.

This innovative and unique program is a great example of how non-governmental organizations partner with the FBI and our law enforcement partners to address underage child sexual exploitation.

Ms. Barbara Strachan, a staunch advocate against the sexual exploitation of underage females, approached the Girl Scouts-Arizona-Cactus-Pine Council, Inc., and formed a partnership between the Girl Scouts and the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections Black Canyon School for Girls.

It was their vision that put into motion a program that reflects the Girl Scouts' mission of "Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place."

SAC Nathan Gray said, “The Girl Scouts-Arizona-Cactus-Pine Council, Inc., epitomizes the spirit of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award by making extraordinary contributions in the lives of these young girls. Their efforts truly embody the mission of the Girl Scouts.”