S.O.U.L. Sisters Leadership Collective

S.O.U.L. Sisters Leadership Collective (SSLC) was set up in 2015 by girls who had gone through the juvenile system, with a view to redressing the inequalities that affect girls and non-binary youth of colour. It works with those at risk of entering the juvenile legal system, in the child welfare system, facing homelessness or in under-resourced public schools or mental health facilities in Miami. SSLC welcomes all folks who identify with femininity, womanhood and girlhood. The organisation strives to reduce the girl population in Miami prisons to zero using restorative justice — a system of rehabilitation and reconciliation with the community — to address offences. It supports the healing of those affected by discrimination and violence and offers a support hub for girls and non-binary youth. SSLC provides girls and young women with a powerful community of mentors, activists and educators with which they work on self-awareness and problem-solving skills. It has partnered with schools, shelters, group homes and detention centres to work on trauma-informed leadership development and social justice education. Its entrepreneurship programme helps participants develop their skills by creating socially conscious products. Girls and non-binary youth are involved in setting the strategic direction of programming and in the organisation at various levels. During workshops in prisons, schools and other sites, it is girls who decide what they learn and how to design their project.