Thank You Thursdays: GEMS

The Girls Education and Mentoring Service (GEMS) deserves some major props for the work they do day in and day out. GEMS is “the only organization in New York State specifically designed to serve girls and young women who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking,” according to their website. It was founded in 1999 by Rachel Lloyd, a young woman who had been sexually exploited as a teenager. So amazing.
GEMS helps girls (ages 12-21) get out of the sex industry, heal from exploitation, and find their own voices and define their own dreams. It takes tireless mentoring and mothering, often resulting in girls who were former prostitutes becoming counselors for the next generation.
Check out this trailer of their new film on prostitution (trigger warning):

I’ll be reviewing it later this month or next, so look out for that. And if you don’t know what nonprofit to support this holiday, GEMS is a really meaningful option!