ABOUT

Girls Empowerment through Arts (GETA) uses artistic practices to provide girls of color, ages 8 through 17, with an opportunity to develop and deepen their ability to express themselves, feel the power of their voice, build confidence, self esteem, and positive ideas and feelings about themselves both as individuals and as members of groups.  

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The overarching goal of the GETA program is to combat the negative societal messages that black and brown girls begin to receive from a very early age by creating a space where girls of color are celebrated, encouraged, and supported to feel confident and strong as they develop their voice and share their ideas, emotions, and stories through artistic expression.

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Research shows that having knowledge and confidence in language and an ability to express yourself is empowering and essential to a strong and positive sense of self. The arts are an ideal vehicle for self expression and confidence building because the forms are universal, allow each person to express their unique voice and story and tap into the inherent creativity they possess from a young age.

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GETA builds on the idea that creativity and artistic expression are abilities that all young people possess and the goal of the GETA program is to nurture these abilities and allow young girls of color to explore their voice as part of their developmental process. GETA provides girls of color with a safe space and artistic practices that support their personal growth and enrich their educational, professional, artistic, and leadership skills.  GETA takes a group of girls through a collective process of empowerment, which comes from each individual having their voice heard, their experiences validated, their wisdom and knowledge appreciated, and their narrative elevated. 

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The GETA program provides schools and youth programs with a structured program setting, artistic practices, and experienced artist/educators that support girls of color to think for themselves, build self confidence, work together in teams, foster creativity and innovation, and have a safe and courageous space where they can express their emotions, explore their ideas and feelings, develop a greater sense of themselves and a better understanding of how beautiful and amazing they are and how much they have to contribute to the world.

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The GETA program is flexible and adaptable, can be implemented in a wide range of school and youth program settings, is customized for girls of different age groups, and can be offered in time frames ranging from 3 hours to 6 weeks or more.  The program can be offered in person or via Zoom or another Internet platform.

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Youth focused programs like GETA are needed as an alternative to traditional classroom settings where youth often feel uncomfortable speaking up or expressing ideas that are unconventional. This often leaves students feeling alienated and/or discouraged from participating in class. For girls of color, this also functions to ensure that negative ideas and messages about minority populations don’t go unchallenged and become solidified in the individual and collective psyche. Internalizing negative stereotypes and images can negatively affect girls’ self-confidence, stifle creativity, and lead to poor health outcomes.

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GETA National is a project of fiscal sponsor Independent Arts and Media.