Many African American girls experience pubertal development early. Earlier pubertal development may place these girls at greater risk of exposure to or engagement in early sexual behavior. Young girls facing this societal context need interventions to help them develop healthy self-esteem, pride in their cultural heritage, good decision-making skills and a sense of purpose. It was from these concerns that the NIA Program of Self-Development for preadolescent girls was initiated as a collaboration of the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, a local public school, and the nursing staff of the Matilda Theiss Health Center, a comprehensive community health center that houses the NIA Group. The group's name, "NIA," meaning a sense of purpose, is derived from one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, a yearly African American celebration of cultural heritage.