Lower Eastside Girls Club — Sales Deck 2024

The Lower Eastside Girls Club

Advocating for a just and equitable world since 1996.

About the Lower Eastside Girls Club

The Lower Eastside Girls Club connects young women and gender-expansive youth of color throughout New York City to healthy and successful futures through free, innovative, year-round programming and mentoring.

Joy. Power. Possibility.

“ Girls Club teaches you how to be yourself, how to be comfortable in your own skin, how to just love who you are, love your planet, care about your neighborhood, your people, your voice, and so many things . ”

Jibeh, Girls Club Alum

“To grow up in Girls Club is so positive. Not only do you grow as a person in Girls Club, you also see the people around you grow. When you come to Girls Club you always know that there are going to be people here to support you and listen to you and understand you. It’s really like a home away from home. ”

Xzeria, Girls Club Member

“ I learned that we have a voice that we should use to create a brighter future . ”

New Girl City Participant

“ Girls Club was one of the first ways I learned about using your voice to express any type of opinion you have. The first marches I went to were advocating for girls’ rights when I was like 8 years old. I think it’s really important that we have a space like this and that we maintain a space like this because young girls need support, and this is a place of support - 100%. ”

Mirette, Girls Club Alum

“ Girls Club provided me with an education that I wasn’t getting at school. I am extremely grateful to the Girls Club for the space and opportunities they provided for me . ”

“ I learned that I can truly choose to be whatever I want to be when I grow up. ”

“ I learned that a mentor can be a guide through life and pushes you to be the best person you can be . ”

Kristhany, Girls Club Mentee

“ You girls are very blessed to have this space. I wish I had something like this when I was your age .”

Michelle Obama, Former First Lady Joy. Power.

The Lower East Side is one of the most densely populated and ethnically-diverse neighborhoods in New York City.

Community Demographics

Around the Girls Club

Our Community District (CD3) currently has the highest income diversity rate of any community district in New York City.

Accessories Intensive, Advanced Sewing, Afternoon Show, Analog Printing, Animation, Arts, Avenue DJs, Bag Design, Bath & Body, Batik & Natural Dyes, Beginner Photography, Beginner Sewing, Bracelets, Capturing Memories, Chibi Paper Dolls, Choreography, Clay Art, Collaging, Colors, Composting, Cool Food Creators, CottageCore, Crafts, Creative Storytelling, Creativity Skills, Crocheting, Culinary, Curate + Create, Dance, DIY Skin Care, Documentary Film, Eco Dance Revolution, Environmental Podcasting, Fairy House Haven, Fashion, Festival & Costume Makeup, Film Production, Food Science, Gala Performance, Garden Transformations, Gardening and Seasonal Harvest, Grownish, Healthy Living, Her Hair Stories, Herbalism, Herstory: Photo Yearbook, Home Goods, Gardening, Jewelry Making, Juicing, Lit Life, Maker Shop, Media 101, Mixed Media, Monster Piñatas, Multimedia, Mural Painting, Music, Music Production, Natural Materials Art, Nature Discovery, New Girl City, One Square Mile Photography, Painting, Pastry Making, Permaculture, Photography, Podcast Power, Pre-Teen + Teen Restorative Circles, Preparing the Garden, Recycled Paper Art, Screen to Stream, Sewing, Showtime Production, Songwriting, STARS Citywide Girls Initiative, STEM Maker, Stencil Art, Summer Band, Summer Sprouts, The Nameplate: Documentary Photography, The Scenic Route, TikTok Dance, Urban Agriculture, Vegan Cooking, Virtual Reality, Visual Art: The Self, Young Chefs, Zine-Making

415 youth enrolled in Girls Club Programs

1,305 adult members enrolled at our Center for Wellbeing & Happiness.

120 paid internships and mentoring opportunities

100% of youth members would recommend Girls Club to a friend

10 languages and dialects spoken among our Girls Club members.

235

6-8 week Girls Club courses offered in STEM, Digital Media, Wellness & more.

100% of youth members feel safe and supported at the Girls Club

$31,105

Lower East Side median household income.

10,000+ youth supported since 1996.

52.4% of LES youth are living below the poverty line.

1996

In a neighborhood with three Boys Clubs, the Girls Club launched with a community celebration at Theater for the New City.

1998

Rented our first space in the back of a 99-cent store on Avenue D. Programs soon expanded to over two dozen locations in the Lower East Side.

2000

Started our first international partnership with Stsebetik Bolom, a young women’s activism and photography collective in Chiapas, Mexico.

2002

Started our first Farmers Market on Avenue D at the future site of the Girls Club’s Center for Community facility.

2003

Opened our first art gallery, digital photography lab, and podcasting studio in a storefront space on E. 1st Street.

2010

Broke ground for our Girls Club Center for Community on Avenue D.

2016

Justice Sonia Sotomayor visited the Girls Club!

Our History

2020

Launched our Center for Wellbeing & Happiness Virtual Hub

2018

Launched New Girl City: Agents of Change, a citywide civic engagement and leadership initiative.

2018

Michelle Obama visited the Girls Club!

2020

Welcomed Ebonie Simpson and Jenny Dembrow as our Co-Executive Directors.

2021

Celebrated our 25th Anniversary Gala honoring Stacey Abrams.

2000

Rented a commercial kitchen and launched our first entrepreneurial venture: the Sweet Things Bake Shop

2001

Established our Girls as Activists, Leaders and Advocates (GALA) Program

2013

Opened the doors to our 35,000ft2 Center for Community facility.

2013

Awarded funding from New York State to create two green roofs and install solar panels

2019

Acquired 5,000 ft2 for our Center for Wellbeing & Happiness facility.

Hosted Stacey Abrams and Fair Fight Action

2020

Provided critical pandemic relief to our community, including the distribution of over 50,000 meals to Lower East Side residents.

2022

Opened the Center for Wellbeing & Happiness facility.

2023

Celebrated the 1 Year

Anniversary of the Center for Wellbeing & Happiness

“ To grow up in Girls Club is so positive . Not only do you grow as a person in Girls Club, you also see the people around you grow.

When you come to Girls Club, you always know that there are going to be people here to support you, and listen to you, and understand you. It really is like a home away from home .”

Xzeria

Girls Club Member

Our Home

Everyday our members enter the Girls Club Center for Community as a world filled with joy, power and possibility.

Inside our doors, members have access to Art, Design, Digital Media and Sound Studios, a STEM lab, a Maker Shop, Environmental Education Lab, the East Village Planetarium, a Culinary Education Center, Movement Space, Rooftop Farm, and all the programming to go along with it. Members and families enjoy programming free of charge, year-round.

Center for Wellbeing & Happiness

For over 28 years, our home has been the vibrant Lower East Side, one of the most densely populated and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in New York City. And for that long, the Lower East Side Center for Community has been committed to building a more just and equitable future. A future where disparities are addressed and racial, gender, and health justice are possible. A future where young women and gender-expansive youth of color can trailblaze their own paths and all members of the community can strengthen and grow together.

The Center for Wellbeing & Happiness is a dynamic wellness hub transforming self-care into community care.

2,500+

Community members served through our monthly food pantry

adult members enrolled at our Center for Wellbeing & Happiness

“The Center for Wellbeing & Happiness is a space of innovation, wellbeing, happiness, and joy will be a national model for the rest of the country, and to be even a small part of this means a lot to me.”

We believe in harnessing the power of family and community.

Our vision is a Lower East Side community where our full humanity is valued, and the wellbeing of all generations (from babies to elders) and genders is collectively supported.

Carlina Rivera

NYC Council Member

HAPPINESS HALL

Entrance & Community

Gathering Space

A space for social-connectedness and civic engagement, where we host community and inter-generational events including: art exhibits, film festivals, book talks, career panels, dance and movement workshops; as well as musical and dance performances. Community groups can also hold meetings here.

WCRL SOUND STUDIO

Where Community Radio Lives

WCRL: Where Community Radio Lives Sound Studio is where members host and stream live interviews and community conversations from our front window sound booth on Avenue D. We also host DJ gatherings and events for all generations.

THE FOOD FARMACY

Community Café

Where we host community dinners and talks, nutrition classes, cooking demos, and offer free, healthy ‘graband-go snacks’, produce packages and non-toxic products for members.

WELLBEING LOUNGE

Quiet Space to Recharge & Connect

A communal space for our community to come together in deep conversation, knowledge-sharing, and collective healing. We host an array of teen, LGBTQ+, parenting, and maternity support groups.

MIND & BODY STUDIO

Mindfulness & Movement Room

A warm, welcoming safe space featuring state-of-the-art immersion for classes in movement, music, meditation, mindfulness and other healing modalities. Courses are offered to all ages, and at all ability levels, at no cost: from babies to great-grandparents.

SOUL SPACE

Educational Programs & Counseling Room

A space for soul care. We host classes, discussions, certification programs, trainings, and workforce development opportunities for careers in health, civil, and green industries. We also offer individual and family counseling, social service referrals, and more.

Center for Wellbeing & Happiness

“ H&M is proud to partner with the Lower Eastside Girls Club! There’s something about the feeling that’s evoked the moment you step inside... meet any of the girls, or spend time with the staff.

It’s the feeling of knowing you are supporting something that’s more than a physical place — it’s a movement!

Donna Dozier Gordon Head of I&D, H&M Region Americas

The Company We Keep

Friends of the Girls Club

Colin Kaepernick Yara Shahidi Rosario Dawson Drake Cleo Wade Stacey Abrams Nessa Hilary Clinton

Elaine Welteroth Freida Pinto Katy Perry Tyra Banks Debi Mazar & Patricia Field Karlie Kloss Chrissy Teigen Kimberly Drew

Gayle King Aurora James Natasha Lyonne Ashley Graham Simone Biles Matthew Cherry America Ferrera Blair Imani

CaSandra Diggs Latham Thomas Jessica Cruel Reese Witherspoon Alicia Keys Cynthia Nixon Michaela Angela Davis Carmen Rita Wong

We create maximum value for your brand and our community.

Talent

Impact

Brand Visibility

Brand Visibility

Impact

We offer partners positive exposure through association with a world-class organization and the surrounding NYC community.

We offer partners positive exposure through association with a worldclass organization and the surrounding NYC community.

We help deepen corporate impact initiatives while partnering with those looking to bolster an existing mission of youth and community empowerment.

We help deepen corporate impact initiatives while partnering with those looking to bolster an existing mission of youth and community empowerment.

Expertise

Expertise

We are an innovation hub of community youth development and offer expertise that can inspire and enrich organizational decisions, products, or service offerings.

We are an innovation hub of community and youth development with decades of expertise that can inspire and enrich organizational decisions, products & service offerings.

Talent

We continuously foster next-generation talent eager to learn, grow, and make a transformative impact.

We are continuously foster nextgeneration talent eager to learn, grow, and make a transformative impact.

Girls Club has influence!

30,000+

Followers on social media

Our Year Ahead