WWW.GRLZRadio.ORG- "Where Girls Are Heard and Respected"

About GRLZ Radio

The GRLZ Radio, Broadcasting & Music Production Program is a nationally recognized radio station and after school program which gives young women a voice in their community. A first of its kind violence prevention and girls' leadership development initiative, GRLZ radio allows adolescent girls to gain technical skills, build a positive identity, and speak out on issues that are important to them. The station broadcasts daily on AMRadio with all aspects of production, programming, and on-air activities orchestrated by the girls themselves.

Background: GRLZ Radio was created out of crisis in the Bowdoin/Geneva neighboorhood of Dorchester, Massachusetts at a time when violent crime was skyrocketing. Confronted with a sense of marginalization in the larger society, girls from the neighborhood started to express their concerns about their lives and their future. The youth approached Boston Mayor Thomas Menino with a desire to create a more positive image of young women and an outlet for the voices to be heard. Through an extensive collaboration, and armed with an Advisory Board of influential women in Boston's media industry, GRLZ Radio was born.

Population Served: GRLZ Radio's target population is teenage girls between the ages of 12 and 19. The girls are representative of the ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity of the inner-city neighborhoods in which they live, representing primarily Haitian, African American, Cape Verdean and Latina cultures. Additionally, GRLZ Radio's peer training and community outreach components allow the program to reach more youth and affect the Greater Boston community on a much larger scale.