The girls and young women of Oasis walk in the door with an interest in art, to learn how to prepare themselves for a healthy future, to become involved in advocating for their community concerns, to meet an adult ally or to engage with other girls their age with similar interests. Girls may live a few blocks away in a neighboring housing development or may take the bus across the city from Bayview Hunter's Point. Some bring their sisters and some become sisters through their experience at Oasis For Girls. Some come to Oasis to find refuge from the chaos at home and others come to be challenged and earn money for college or daily living. At the end of the day, they leave the space and call us so we know they got home safely.

These women and girls in our community are intelligent, creative, compassionate, and amazing individuals with a great deal of potential. However, they are also faced with many challenges. A large percentage of the girls in our community are forced to live in unstable home environments, including extreme poverty, exposure to abusive situations, and a lack of parental guidance. These circumstances contribute to apathy in school, self-esteem issues, and a greater chance of becoming involved with high-risk activities. Additionally, the majority of girls we serve are first generation Americans, however, many of them are also recent immigrants. Many speak languages other than English in their homes. All are unique and are dealing with the hardships of acculturation into American culture while striving to maintain pride within their own heritages.

In 2007, Oasis for Girls touched the lives of 407 girls and young women through program, special outreach and public program events, while directly serving 186* girls in our individual programs. Demographics for our young women are:

*In 2007, we had a special Girls Group with a youth leader at MET West School in Oakland. Thank you to the teachers and staff who supported this effort and congratulations Elicha.