From VOA News:
The neighborhood of Anacostia is one of the poorest and most dangerous in Washington. Anacostia has a high rate of crime. Many young people do not complete their high school education. And many girls become pregnant while still in school. A young woman who is a psychologist is helping teenage girls in the neighborhood. Two years ago, Satira Streeter started the first group of Girl Scouts in Anacostia.
The Girl Scouts is a national organization of young women and girls. It was founded in the United States almost one hundred years ago. Its goal is to help girls develop leadership skills through many kinds of projects. The Girl Scouts has about three million members, plus more than nine hundred thousand adult volunteers.
Satira Streeter is having fun with a group of girls after school. They are working together on homework for the first time as Girl Scout members. Ms. Streeter wants to help these girls to be successful in school and avoid early pregnancy. She is a trained psychologist and executive director of Ascensions Community Services. She started the center in an area of Washington where no one else offered mental health treatment.
Ascensions Community Services provides many services to people who have emotional, behavioral or mental disorders. The center offers services to people in need, without requiring payment. Ms. Streeter and other therapists help people face problems and improve their relationships with others. They also offer classes on how to be a good parent. In her first three years, she worked without pay. Then a local group provided money to pay for her work.
Satira Streeter says she grew up in a community like Anacostia. She did not know her father and lived with a mother who had mental problems. Her mother became dependent on drugs and could not take care of her. So Ms. Streeter began living with other families when she was eleven years old. She says other people helped her deal with her problems. So she believed it was time for her to help others. She says her goal in life is, in her words, to be a healer and a helper to the people of her community.
Satira Streeter is a true example of being the difference! Do you know someone who is being the difference in your community? Tell me about them and they may be featured on this blog.
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