About Us

Our Story - Our Journey

S.T.R.A.W. Inc. ™ Center for Young Women © was created in 2004 by Therena Cunningham, a local youth specialist, who was looking for a safe space for a group of teen girls to practice their dance techniques and complete (get assistance with) their homework. As the membership grew, so did the length of time together and the needs of these young women became evident. We soon introduced activities, programs and services to girls who came early to our center or needed to stay longer. Very quickly within this safe and non-threatening space, we expanded our services to include counseling, healthy meals and snacks, computer access, academic support, leadership development and life skills training.

Our Mission Statement

We are dedicated to making girls feel great about themselves by encouraging them to:
o find their voices;
o explore new skills;
o and become dynamic leaders.

Our Work - What We Do

The gender specific development program offered at S.T.R.A.W. Inc. ™ Center for Young Women© is in direct response to the growing number of young women who are making poor decisions and are in danger of falling through the cracks at school or within the Bahamian society. The program model at S.T.R.A.W. Inc. ™ Center for Young Women© has a summarized goal of identifying these under-served young women who are having a turbulent transition to adulthood and equip them with the tools, techniques and a positive support system to avoid the pitfalls that can derail their lives.

Our Core Values

Integrity: we are guided by absolute fairness and honesty in everything we do.
Excellence: we set high measurable goals and hold our counselors, staff and volunteers accountable to achieve them and we encourage our girls to do the same.
Confidentiality: your secrets and struggles are safe with us; we respect your rights for privacy.
Innovation: we will never be satisfied with the status quo and know that we must continually reinvent our organization and its programming activities and outreach initiatives.
Respect: we expect leaders to make difficult decisions, and to carry them out in a way that allows all involved to maintain dignity.
Commitment: to achieve results through research, data and experience, we use best practices to meet the increasingly diverse needs of girls and their families.

Our Impact

8750

adolescent girls, teen girls and young women attended and participated in activities at the Annual Girls Leadership Conference © since 2005

1500

adolescent girls participated in activities at the Annual International Day of the Girl © since 2012

1750

adolescent girls engaged in campus based activities in The Middle School Project© since 2010

3250

teen girls engaged in campus based activities in The Journey Development Program© since 2015

345

715

Our organization has a proud history of serving young women and elevating their voices and ideas. It is within these walls ( at S.T.R.A.W. Inc. ™ Center for Young Women ©), that young women can have a safe place to develop positive relationships with others, find direction for their lives and contribute positively to their communities.

Here are some facts:

Today, Bahamian girls continue to encounter significant obstacles to their well-being and success.

1 in 5 girls will not finish high school.

78% of girls are unhappy with their bodies by age 15.

4 in 10 girls will become pregnant before the age of 20.

2 in 5 girls will be a victim of childhood sexual abuse.