Our Program
A 12-module leadership development curriculum built specifically for Black adolescent girls ages 12–18. Not therapy. Not risk management. Leadership development — from the inside out.
What It Is
Pathways to Power is not a program repurposed from something built for someone else. It was designed specifically for Black adolescent girls — their experiences, their strengths, their needs, and their potential.
The curriculum draws on CBT-based life skills frameworks and DBT-informed approaches adapted for youth. It is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and organized around five developmental domains we call the Five Pillars.
Sessions are held weekly, run 60–90 minutes, and are facilitated in small groups of 8–12 participants — intentionally sized to create the conditions for genuine trust and real work.
The Framework
Each pillar represents a developmental domain that research and practice identify as foundational for adolescent wellbeing and leadership capacity.
Grounding girls in who they are — culturally, personally, historically. Naming strengths before naming challenges. Understanding that Blackness is an asset, not a risk factor.
Building the capacity to feel fully without being controlled by feeling. Practical tools for emotional management, nervous system awareness, and decision-making under pressure.
Redefining power as something internal, relational, and community-rooted — not something granted or withheld by institutions. Learning to advocate, set boundaries, and lead.
Developing the skills and imagination to build a future on their own terms. Goal-setting, long-range thinking, decision-making, and the belief that their future is theirs to design.
Creating accountable, reciprocal relationships. Understanding interdependence as strength. Learning how to be in community — and how community sustains the work over time.
The Details
Pathways to Power is leadership development. It is a space built specifically for Black adolescent girls to understand themselves better, build skills that matter, and connect with other girls doing the same work.
The program is grounded in:
Pathways to Power is not therapy. H.E.R. facilitators are not licensed mental health clinicians and do not provide treatment, diagnosis, or clinical intervention.
This distinction matters — not to limit what's possible in the room, but to name clearly what the room is for. The girls who come to H.E.R. are not coming to be assessed. They are coming to be developed.
When participants need more support than the program provides, H.E.R. facilitators connect them to appropriate community resources.
H.E.R. serves Black adolescent girls ages 12–18 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We reach participants through school partnerships, community referrals, and direct outreach.
We do not use risk scores, justice-involvement status, or behavioral flags as eligibility criteria. We serve Black girls who want to be here.
Year 1 capacity is 24–36 participants across two to three cohort groups.
"You never have to share anything you don't want to share. What's said in the group stays in the group. You can stop participating at any time. No punishment. No judgment."
From the H.E.R. Participant Assent FormFor Schools & Partners
H.E.R. partners with schools and community organizations to bring Pathways to Power directly to the girls who need it. We handle facilitation. We provide all materials. We work with your schedule.
Our school partnership model is designed to be low-lift for educators and administrators — H.E.R. takes responsibility for program quality, participant safety, and curriculum delivery.
If you work in a school, community organization, or residential setting in the Cedar Rapids area and want to explore a partnership, reach out.
The outcome we are building toward is not a statistic. It is a girl who knows who she is, knows what she can do, and has the community to sustain her.
Fund the WorkCedar Rapids, Iowa · (319) 361-0111 · hopeempowermentresilience@gmail.com