The potential is often evident in these young women. It's the method toward realizing that potential, of drawing them out, instilling a self-belief and a feeling of trust in self, that is the difficult part.

The case managers and program coordinators at Powerful Voices don't try to manage or reform. Instead, the at-risk girls they work with are given the opportunity to set their own paths, to gain a measure of self-confidence as they receive their first real chances to set and achieve their own goals.

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It is an especially enriching experience for those who help run the Seattle non-profit's STAGES (Strength Through All-Girl Education and Support) program, which works with girls who are in or have recently been released from juvenile detention.

"These girls often don't come from situations that offer much in the way of positive reinforcement," said La Rond Baker, instructional coordinator for the program.

"At school or in the community, the central themes are the same, self-esteem. A lot of these girls feel silenced. We try to give them a setting where they can express their goals and dreams."

		Gilbert W. Arias / P-I
	Ayana Carroll of Powerful Voices helps at-risk girls develop trust -- and a plan for their lives.

Baker spoke recently with several other staff involved in the STAGES program at the agency's Central District offices.

They talked of the difficulties many of the girls face on a constant basis. Uneven family situations, tough neighborhoods and other environments in which the majority of the girls they work with feel pushed into the margins of society. That's where they hope STAGES can come in, to help guide these girls back so that they no longer feel lost or marginalized.

Founded in 1998, STAGES has a three-tier structure designed to ease the girls back into their communities with the hope they can lead safe, productive lives.

STAGE I involves twice-weekly programs that are offered at the King County Juvenile Detention Facility. These 90-minute workshops are a sort of open house, designed to offer forums for girls to speak openly and work through problems and issues.

"It's important for us not to be judgmental," said Ayana Carroll, a program coordinator. "They have so many adults trying to tell them what to do and not actually listening to them. We don't do that. We want them to be open and honest, to foster a trust."

STAGE II aids with the transition back into the community following release from detention. It involves a mix of peer education, in which girls take a proactive leadership role, and resource advocacy, where they receive one-on-one assistance from STAGES staff. The goal here is to help girls foster goal-planning with the aid of someone already in her life, such as a parent or teacher.

"Space," said Blak Washington, a case manager in the program. "That's what I didn't realize at first. Most of the time they feel as if they're trapped. There is a limit to what you can do. The idea is to help them come up with a plan for their lives."

STAGE III is called DYVAS (Develop Your Voice and Speak), an education and employment program. It is a seven-week program in which instructors work with girls to get them job-ready. They produce a project during the summer and those who go through the program are encouraged to earn their general equivalency degrees.

"We want them to feel empowered," Baker said. "That is the hope we have once they go through this program. We want to see them get what they need, to have higher expectations of themselves and their lives. It's not something common to girls, especially girls of color. We want to help them learn how to do that."

Powerful Voices is one of seven charities benefiting from this season's Readers Care Fund Drive. Other non-profits are: Forgotten Children's Fund, the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center, New Futures, Family and Adult Service Center, Northwest Child and Rise n' Shine. All administrative costs are paid for by the P-I so all money raised goes directly to these groups.