Pace girls come from all backgrounds, but throughout their time at Pace, we teach them to embrace growth and change while working to invest in their futures.
For many Pace girls, feeling discounted and doubted can be a familiar feeling. Lexi, a freshman at Pace Treasure Coast, knows it too well: “I didn’t feel believed in when people told me that I wasn’t going to make it out from where I came from. But I did everything I could to try and prove them wrong.” Many girls like Lexi come to Pace after experiencing challenges, such as living in poverty, experiencing trauma, and struggling with their mental health.
Every day, our exceptional team of counselors and therapists work to create safe, inclusive spaces and help girls realize and harness their power.
Amber, a freshman celebrating her one-year anniversary of enrolling at Pace, is proud to be a good listener to her friends, often helping them solve their problems. She remembers: “My friends told me they believed in me because I’m basically their counselor. They believed that I could help them and make them believe in themselves, and that made me believe in myself.”
Amber isn’t the only one who has felt affirmed by her peers at Pace. Laura, an 8th-grade student, loves when her peers recognize her artistic talent. She says: “Whenever I get to show people [my art], and they complement me about it, I get really happy. I love getting compliments because I’m being recognized for something that most people wouldn’t really think is a big deal, but for me it is.”
This support for each girl’s individual strengths is at the center of the Pace experience. In Spirited Girls, one of Pace’s signature classes, girls build a monthly affirmation calendar and then read an affirmation each day. Lexi says “It helps boost my confidence. When people put me down, I say ‘I am, I can, and I will.’”
And this encouragement extends outside of the classroom. Laura shares her gratitude for her counselor, saying: “I really look up to my counselor. Miss Lena is the backbone of this place: She does so much for us.”
Above all, the lessons girls learn every day at Pace are directly tied to their future ambitions. Amber, whose friends affirm her incredible ability to make them feel heard and seen, wants to be a guidance counselor. Lexi, who is learning to believe in herself, aspires to be a biomedical researcher or a psychiatrist. And Laura, who loves art with her entire being, wants to be an animator.
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The girls and young women Pace supports receive academic instruction and work closely with counselors and therapists trained in gender-responsive and trauma-based therapy. These resources are made available to girls at no cost to them. Know a girl who could benefit from Pace? Learn more and enroll today!