Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (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. Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS) was founded in 1998 by Rachel Lloyd in response to an overwhelming need for services for girls and young women at risk for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking who were being ignored by traditional social service agencies.
GEMS’ programming is gender responsive, trauma informed, developmentally grounded, strengths based, social justice oriented, and culturally competent. GEMS’ founding principles reside in survivor leadership and transformational relationships. GEMS’ services are based on the needs and interests of survivors and the agency’s programming is developed based on survivors’ ideas, input, and expertise. GEMS provides young women with empathetic, consistent support and viable opportunities for positive change.