Girls making a difference at their own PACE
BY STEPHANIE WESTENDORF Florida Weekly Correspondent

FLORIDA WEEKLY PHOTO Math teacher Kristina Ortiz instructs PACE students on measurements and calculations.

A recent study from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency reported that females in Florida are getting arrested at young ages. Forty percent of girls in the study committed their first offense before they turned 13.

The majority of these children also experienced depression, trauma, self-destructive behavior, and family conflicts.

To combat this growing trend in Lee County, volunteers worked tirelessly on a tight deadline to open a PACE (Practical Academic Cultural Education) Center for Girls. It's the newest of 19 centers in Florida.

The 47 students at PACE in Fort Myers come from a variety of backgrounds.

"Most of them are two to three years behind in school," said Debra Webb, Executive Director of the local PACE Center for Girls. "They have experienced all types of challenges in their lives including sexual abuse, incarcerated or deceased parents, and unstable home lives."

Statewide statistics from PACE show that one out of five girls entering the organization suffers from neglect, while one in four has endured physical abuse. Many suffer from substance abuse and have been suicidal in the past. Some have been raped and others are pregnant or have children. And many girls have more than one of these issues.

Roughly 73 percent of PACE girls come from low income families.

Webb said that the presence of PACE in Lee County is important because of the area's growth and rise in female crimes.

"Our goal is to stop girls from going deeper into the juvenile system. We're like a safety net for the girls to start making better choices," she said.

Girls from 6th to 12th grade enter PACE after school social workers, juvenile probation officers, or friends or family members have referred them. Webb said some come to PACE with very low self esteem.

"The girls always tend to feel like the underdogs, and that they're not a powerful gender," she said. "We've found that if we treat girls with integrity and respect; that's how they start to learn to respect themselves."

Upon entering, the students are given an individual treatment plan that fits their needs. Webb said PACE is "not just about school, it's about your life changing."

On average, students stay at PACE for 12 to 18 months before transitioning back to public school or graduating.

A Typical Day at PACE

In the all-purpose room, breakfast is available for students as they arrive around 8:45 a.m. Girls move in small "troops" to their classes. Kristina Ortiz, the school's math teacher said troops allow girls to bond with each other and form close friendships.

In PACE classes, you won't find a teacher dictating to a class. Instead, girls on all different grade levels work one-on-one with teachers during each class period.

"It's a very supportive, nurturing class environment," said Webb.

The 50-minute classes usually have about 10 students. About 31 percent of PACE girls statewide have a learning disability or mental illness. Teachers are able to give more attention to each student in PACE's smaller classes, Ortiz said. Girls learn math, social studies, science, reading, and English. They also take part in a PACE course called "Spirit Girls", where they discuss issues like handling emotions, sex, drug prevention, and life skills, although any topic is game.

The "Spirit Girls" class has three large couches and a laidback atmosphere. A basket of journals sits on the desk in the back of the room. Girls can write about what they want or respond to different assigned topics.

The donated couches are only a small portion of items given to PACE. Webb said nearly one-quarter of her budget comes from private donations from the community. Tutors are also brought in to assist the girls in reading and math.

Students use the computer lab for career and educational testing. The PACE Center tries to expose girls to career opportunities. Recently, the center had a job fair for the students with women from the community.

The last 15 minutes of each day, students can see their counselor or participate in a closing activity. The school day ends at 2:20 p.m. The Lee County School District donated a bus to the PACE Center that about 30 girls use to get to and from school.

Making strides

"PACE is a great place for girls to feel safe," Webb said. "People accept them. It's really an encouraging place to be. For the first time in their life they have a lot of positive female role models."

While many traditional institutions suspend or expel students with behavioral problems, Webb said at PACE, "We accept their behavior as trauma and try to figure [it] out."

Instead of receiving traditional punishments, PACE girls talk to their counselors and work out the issues causing their actions.

The only behavior not accepted is violence. Students who physically fight or bring weapons to school will have to leave. All girls are monitored for three years after they leave PACE to ensure progress.

And that progress seems to be increasing, according to PACE's statewide statistics.

Since its creation, the organization has served more than 12,000 girls and about 2,000 last year.

More than 80 percent of PACE girls last year increased their grade point average and earned school credit. Within three years after transitioning out of PACE, 36 percent of students were employed and 43 percent enrolled in college or another education setting.

While at PACE, students also significantly lowered their drug and alcohol use. Moreover, almost half the students enrolled in the last fiscal year volunteered in their community. A scramble to open

The Fort Myers center was created after a Miami PACE closed, leaving 51 slots open for girls. Webb and some community leaders visited the center in Immokalee in March of 2006, hoping to open a center in Lee County. By October, legislative funding was received and the center opened in early February this year. The building was a mess, Webb said.

But new carpeting, plumbing, air conditioning, and furnishings were quickly donated. Today, the building looks new and holds several classrooms, a kitchen, offices, a computer lab, a multi-purpose room and more.

Although the local center has only been open for seven months, Webb said a lot has happened. Some girls have already transitioned back to public schools.

"We're seeing the success and the growth, behavior's changing. You know, they don't change overnight…for a lot of girls this is the first time they've even been in counseling and the education is so one on one."

Sixteen-year-old Stephanie Erausquin recently caught up to her grade.

"I was…going to get kicked out of school for truancy and I'd rather just come here and finish my work at PACE." said Erausquin, who wants to be a nurse.

Kaisy Mahil, 14, also had a truancy problem.

"I was a person who did not like going to school. And I just needed a change," she said.

Now at PACE, Mahil dreams of becoming a lawyer.

"I like that everybody can just come work together and you can take your time doing what you need to do and you get extra help if you need something."

In the future, Webb said she hopes to see recreational activities created for the girls, like after-school aerobics or meditation classes. PACE has also started a choir to perform at a local fundraising event.

"My favorite part is seeing the girls bonding with each other and witnessing their potential and how they're starting to feel a sense of belonging," Webb said. ¦