Our Mission
AZIZA PE&CE (AP) is on a mission to renew the health and well-being of Black girls and LGBTQ+ youth and their communities through instilling Black history & culture, self-love, and solidarity into their souls.
To change the racial, gender, sexual, and homophobic violence and insecurity that perpetuate the school system, Black girls and LGBTQ+ youth must play a leading role. AP now operates outside of schools to create a safe and healing refuge for kids who face real danger inside the schoolhouse. We shape and shift civic and cultural power by building a “True community,” that as Pauli Murray said, “is based upon equality, mutuality, and reciprocity. It affirms the richness of individual diversity as well as the common human ties that bind us together.”
AZIZA, created in 2008, means precious, gorgeous, powerful and a reflection of a mother’s love. Named after the daughter of Founder and Executive Director, Saran Fossett, the program was started after Saran spent years working in the fashion and education industries with the intent to offer girls resources and tools to become dynamic leaders, innovators, and public servants. In 2011, the organization expanded by creating Positive Energy & Cultivating Excellence (PE&CE), a program to engage marginalized male and female youth from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) community.
Using creative arts therapy and mentoring to improve academic, social, emotional, cultural, and critical thinking skills. We take a unique approach to mental health and personal development, focusing on issues like anxiety, depression, confidence, and self-esteem.
Our Vision
Be the change you wish to see.
Did you know that girls growing up in poverty are more likely to experience mental health challenges, according to a 2017 report by Girls Inc? Did you know that more than 70% of LGBTQ+ youth reported feeling sad or hopeless for at least two weeks in a year, according to a 2019 survey by The Trevor Project?
Health is an extremely multifaceted subject, and especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen that there are clear disparities. Our organization, AZIZA PE&CE (commonly referred to as “AP”), was established in 2008, and is a Baltimore-based non-profit that primarily serves girls and LGBTQ+ youth ages 14 to 24.
AP uses the arts, fashion, fitness, music, mentoring and entertainment to address social, emotional, cultural, life and critical thinking skills. We use a non-conventional approach to address public health and personal development which includes, but is not limited to: anxiety, depression, confidence and self-esteem.
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Saran Fossett
Founder, Executive Director