Enriching Education: Girls with Impact

A high school student has designed an online resource to help immigrant children and teenagers learn how to prepare for the possible deportations of parents or guardians.

Sixteen-year-old Jody Bell, who will be a senior this fall at Greenwich High School, said she came up with the idea after hearing firsthand the concerns of some close friends who were afraid to speak with guidance counselors or adults about their fears surrounding deportation. Many, she said, have family members who are at risk of being deported, as President Donald Trump’s administration has taken a harder line on immigration.

Bell, who turns 17 next month, said she knew she wanted to “take action” on the immigration issue but was unsure what to do. That was around the time a guidance counselor told her about a new Connecticut-based organization called Girls With Impact, a program billed as a “12-week mini-MBA” in which teenage girls create businesses, nonprofits or projects that will affect the world and their success in life.

Bell was among the first group of graduates, finishing the program in the spring of 2017. She launched her website, In Case of Deportation, this month.

The online program is geared toward children ages 8 to 18 and is written in a way young people can understand, Bell said. It explains what deportation is, how to talk to family members about it, what a child’s options are if a parent or guardian is deported and what should be considered when making a deportation preparedness plan for a child.

Bell suggests practical steps like making sure children have keys to their houses and copies of their medical records and know how to find legal help and financial assistance. She came up with information through months of her own research and discussions with experts, including advocacy groups, immigration lawyers and state officials.

The teen’s platform, which she plans to continue evolving and updating, is already being used by several school districts, including Greenwich and New Rochelle Schools of New York, said Girls With Impact CEO Jennifer Openshaw, a tech entrepreneur and financial expert who started the nonprofit program.

Openshaw said girls like Bell, who have participated in the program, have a “huge leg up” in college because they’ve created a real business plan and launched something tangible, like Bell’s online program. Operating for about a year, Girls With Impact works with about 15 girls per class, who live all across the country. The organization has plans to run 10,000 girls through the year-round program by 2022. A new class begins in the fall.

Original AP story

Jody Bell, 16, gives her elevator pitch for her project – 

In Case of Deportation (I.C.O.D.) – 

which made international news last month.

I had a chance to do an interview to learn more.

Why are teens getting so engaged in current issues, like school shootings and immigration?

Most teen girls want to have a social impact or do something “really cool.”  It’s like “impact” is in their blood.  Jody Bell, 16, just made international news when she launched her venture – a website to provide resources to children whose parents are deported. Her answer to this is: Why not? We’re capable of it.

Today, these girls have tools our parents never had. And if someone like Girls With Impact equips them with know-how to use those tools, they’re ready to make something happen. And the beauty is that learning how to create a real business plan applies to any area of interest – math, music, science or tech.

What has been the influence of the Girls with Impact program?

We’re changing the future for these girls.  These girls really will be the CEOs of tomorrow because they’re demonstrating the kind of leadership abilities colleges and employers want to see. They’re getting a huge leg-up/

That’s why, when a parent is investing time and money in a host of activities, I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t put this at the top of their list. 

We know from our Entrepreneurship Talent Gap Report that when girls compete in business in college, they beat the boys. But if we don’t expose girls as early as high school, they’ll fail to pursue business or entrepreneurship and they’ll miss out on the earnings and opportunities that follow.

We’re incredibly excited by the outcomes, based just on our 12-week “mini-MBA”:

·      A doubling in girls’ leadership confidence

·      81% more likely to major in business or entrepreneurship

·      100% feel more career-ready

Girls are also improving their business and STEM skills and getting a huge leg-up in college and career with 90% of girls saying they’re better able to differentiate themselves.

We’ve also had 40% of our high school senior girls get full scholarships to college in business worth about $200,000 each.

This video overview explains the opportunity and the impact for parents and girls.

How can parents encourage their daughters to strengthen their entrepreneurial abilities?

·      Brainstorm a project or business idea she could develop, leveraging one of her strengths.  For example, if she loves math, what are 3-5 ideas?  One of our Girls With Impact members is developing a better math tutoring app. Others could be creating a tutoring business or creating a math model to solve a problem.  Ideally, find a connection for that project to provide some ‘reward’ – for example, can it qualify for school credit or volunteer service?

·      If your daughter is experiencing a “pain” or frustration, explore that as a project she could take on. For example, during a conversation, my own daughter commented on some of the activities other kids are doing but that “hardly anyone knows.” We suggested she develop the school’s “newspaper” and recruit some other students to write short articles. It’s a great way to develop both her leadership and writing skills.

·      Talk about role models in the newspaper – Jeff Bezos is one we discuss in our program, and the girls’ eyes widen when we explain he’s the world’s wealthiest person.  Oprah and Spanx Founder & CEO Sara Blakley are other great examples.

·      Explain the point of college – College isn’t just to get an education; it’s to get a paying job and hopefully to have a financially and personally rewarding career.  Sometimes, an independent person is a better messenger of this lesson.

·      Direct her to conduct an “informational interview” – Have her find a working professional and meet with him/her for 15 minutes to learn about job opportunities and what the company looks for.  A friend of the family is OK but it is not OK for you to make the actual introduction or connection. Have her identify and execute the meeting on her own. You can help her develop a set of question in advance such as: What are key skills you look for? What kind of business knowledge should I have before taking a job or internship? 

What can parents do to boost girls' confidence for future success?

First, remember that confidence doesn’t come from talking – it comes from executing.  You can’t say to a girl: “Why aren’t you confident?” or “You should feel confident given what you’ve accomplished.”  Instead, put her in positions where she can create and execute on an idea. It doesn’t have to be big. But she will build confidence by executing and seeing the fruits of her labor.

Also, don’t do the work for her. Let her execute but let her know you’re there for input if she needs it.

One teen girl, Christina, had a Girls With Impact idea to provide meals to low-income teens. As part of her business plan, she targeted Mother’s Day to kick off the program with a first event. As the day approached, however, some of her plans weren’t quite coming together. Her school guidance counselor said she’d never be able to execute it by the date. Her Girls With Impact coach helped her with a different strategy to accomplish her goal: rather than finding a location and recruiting the low-income families to come to her location, go to where they are. She chose a shelter she was familiar with… and the rest is history. She not only executed the program “all by herself” says her mother, but she made the local newspaper. Check out Christina.

If you as a parent don’t have the time or expertise, then consider a program like Girls With Impact, which operates year-round.  Not only will she learn so many critical skills, but she’ll build a network with other girls and be able to attend class live from the comfort of home or even the road.  See the Academy in Action.