The Girls Education Mentoring Series (GEMS) targets middle school girls from our Harlingen middle schools to encourage an honest conversation about a girls world and help create a sense of support and sisterhood. Our goal is to increase leadership skills, boost self esteem, inspire goal setting for the future, educate the pros and cons of social media use and teach professional development through our monthly sessions with interactive activities and speakers. By the end of the year, we, along with HCISD, hope that we created a safe environment where girls can connect with each other, make new friends from other schools, express themselves authentically and celebrate what makes them beautifully unique. We have also created an opportunity for our girls in the mentorship program to participate in a local community event called Kid Fit and Kids in the Kitchen.