What happens when 100 girls from public schools are trained in business and leadership skills for six months? Empowerment, says a new program in Brazil sponsored by the Department of State.
The Power4Girls program aims to “demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Brazilian government’s high school reform efforts,” said Todd Miyahira, one of the program developers at the U.S. Embassy in Brazil, “while reinforcing our support for empowering women and girls through entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, and skills development for the 21st-century workplace.”
Power4Girls was launched in 2020 with the U.S. Embassy’s implementation partner in Brazil, Instituto Gloria. The second edition began in March of this year and will run until September.
The program incorporates creative educational practices, entrepreneurship, and innovation to help support emerging young talent.
The six-month program includes workshops and training sessions both in-person and online. For the in-person programming, the girls will work with women in leadership positions in business. In the virtual groups, they will develop ideas to improve their communities with the support of qualified teacher coordinators and young mentors.
This year’s program theme is Environment and Sustainability. The final projects will contribute to the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — a global action plan to address the climate crisis and other challenges.
The current projects include:
• Gurias na Ciência (Girls in Science): an alternative to plastic made from the microbiological fermentation of materials discarded by the industry in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
• Conserve2Preserve: a mobile app that monitors air quality in the state of Ceará.
• Mulheres de Fibra (Fiber Women): ceramic tiles made with coconut to act as thermal insulation, which better retains heat inside homes.
“We recognize the importance of promoting representation, leadership, and innovation in the next generation of women leaders,” said Miyahira. “This program helps girls develop leadership and entrepreneurship skills to become leaders for Brazil in the years to come.”
Source: share.america.gov, By Noelani Kirschner