Women are the fastest-growing incarcerated population.

On any given day in the United States, there are 2 million children that have a parent in jail or prison. In Canada, there are close to 200 thousand that suffer from the traumatic effects of parental incarceration.

But a program in the United States is working to empower girls with mothers in prison to break the cycle of incarceration and lead successful lives with vision and purpose. That program is GEM or Girls Embracing Mothers.

Today on Connections we'll chat with GEM Program Director, Mindy Minor and former participant, now Program Coordinator, Angelica Zaragoza. They'll share their own stories and why GEM is such an important program.