The Arts Effect all-girl theater company is an empowering space for girls ages 9 to 19 to artistically explore their world. Through the creation of original plays and community events, this 50-member company fuses arts and activism to raise awareness about challenges faced by girls globally. The ensemble’s latest play, A Day in the Life, was inspired by the stories of real girls and exposes the damaging impact of commercial sexual exploitation. The piece, along with supporting anti-trafficking trainings, has been presented across the United States. The girls also joined forces with teen trafficking survivors and traveled to Albany to perform and lobby lawmakers to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act.

“We stand with survivors. We stand with our fellow girls out there. They are us and we are them—and we won't stop telling our stories until we're all free from the threat of commercial sexual exploitation. Girls are not for sale.”