Girls Inc. seeks to develop evidence-based therapeutic activity interventions for economically disadvantaged girls experiencing ACEs.

Their enrollment data tells a clear story: 70% of participants live in female-headed households, 49% are raised by single mothers alone, and 32% have documented trauma, behavioral, or emotional support needs—a figure they believe undercounts the true prevalence given the sensory and behavioral challenges observed daily in programming. Their families navigate multiple ACEs indicators, including parental incarceration, custody disputes, orders of protection, parental death, and severe economic hardship (61% qualify for free/reduced meals; 81% require financial assistance to participate). Research confirms that poverty itself is an ACE that compounds exposure to additional adversity, placing our participants among the region’s most vulnerable youth. These experiences directly impair emotional regulation, behavior, and long-term health outcomes. While their EmpowerHER social-emotional learning program builds foundational skills, evaluation revealed that girls experiencing significant trauma require therapeutic intervention beyond what an SEL curriculum alone can provide.

Phase I will develop a therapeutic recreation program using evidence-based activity interventions proven effective for trauma recovery in youth. Led through their partnership with the University of Tennessee’s Recreational Therapy program, this project will: (1) conduct ACEs screening, (2) design therapeutic activity protocols targeting emotional regulation and resilience, (3) develop trauma-informed staff training curricula, (4) pilot interventions with 45+ girls, and (5) establish outcome measures for Phase II.