Programs help put young girls on a path to success – USA TODAY

Lisa A. Beach, USA TODAY Back to School magazine Published 8:18 a.m. ET July 15, 2017 | Updated 8:18 a.m. ET July 15, 2017

Girls work together to examine properties of soil as part of an activity at the Girls Inc. program in Lynn, Mass.(Photo: Provided by Girls Inc.)

When 9-year-old Jelani Jones discovered a passion for creating natural bath products, she decided to launch her own business Lani Boo Bath in October 2016. But when she needed help creating a more structured approach to grow her business, Jelani turned to SheEO, a Springfield, Va.-based mentoring and enrichment company that provides entrepreneurial training.

SheEO joins a growing number of girl empowerment organizations that share a common goal: to help young girls realize their dreams.

We work to empower the CEO in every girl to take steps towards business ownership and community leadership, explains DeShawn Robinson-Chew, the groups CEO and founder. Our hands-on, immersion program helps young ladies be a she while becoming an EO (executive officer). We foster both personal and professional development.

Founded in 2003, SheEO partners with schools, churches and youth centers to encourage budding entrepreneurs ages 8-16 through summer camps, classes, after-school clubs and individual coaching. With guidance from SheEO professionals, entrepreneurs-in-training plan and pitch business ideas, set goals, strategize and connect with like-minded peers.

While some girls need help on their path to entrepreneurship, others just need a helping hand.

When she was 11, Diamond Jones was living in extreme hardship in Chattanooga, Tenn. Her mom was ill, her dad was in jail and she was homeless. She turned to her local Girls Inc. organization for much-needed support and guidance as she overcame her struggles. Now 18, she recently graduated high school with a 3.8 GPA and is the first in her family to go to college; she will attend the University of Memphis in the fall.

Headquartered in New York, Girls Inc. taps into its network of more than 1,200 sites across the U.S. and Canada to serve 140,000 girls ages 6-18 each year. Its overarching purpose? To inspire girls to be strong, smart and bold by providing direct assistance and advocacy.

We are on the prevention side, says Judy Vredenburgh, Girls Inc. president and CEO. We create strong, long-lasting mentorship between girls and our professionals done in a sisterhood of support.

To accomplish this, Girls Inc. offers programs covering media literacy, healthy relationships, sports and initiatives like Operation SMART, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Another nonprofit, Girls Who Code, takes the STEM-focused approach even further. It strives to build the largest pipeline of future female engineers in the U.S. by providing free after-school clubs and summer immersion camps to girls wanting to learn computer programming.

Since 2012, the organization has grown from serving 20 girls in New York to 40,000 in 50 states.

In both our summer immersion program and our clubs, girls work on a final project using technology to solve an issue that matters to them. That personal relevancy is crucial in sparking and sustaining girls interest in the field, says founder and CEO Reshma Saujani.

As todays girls battle gender-specific stereotypes and biases, they can lean on girl empowerment organizations along the way.

We need to start challenging our girls to step outside of their comfort zone, to push girls to be brave and reward them for trying, Saujani says.

USA TODAY Back To School 2017 magazine(Photo: Studio Gannett)

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Programs help put young girls on a path to success - USA TODAY