Girls Rise Leadership Camp’s first priority is Girls Empowerment. Everything we do at summer camp is to make girls feel powerful! We discuss current events to help girls inform themselves about the world around them and how it affects them as girls. We watch movies like Wonder Woman, Harry Potter, and  Hidden Figures that showcase smart, multifaceted, capable women of all races.  The girls have workshops in STEAM, life skills, careers, culture, and social justice. Everything they need to get started on their journey to be a well-rounded, critical thinking, successful women is right here.

Growing up is more than just about academics. At the Girls Rise Leadership Camp, participants will learn skills that will help them become more successful, content, and balanced. Girls learn stress reduction techniques including meditation, journaling, and breathing exercises. Additionally, they learn healthy eating through workshops by places like the Pasadena Department of Health. A local bank may show them how to take care of their future finances with workshops on budgeting . Local fitness instructors will show them how much fun exercise can be with yoga, zumba, swimming, or dance sessions .

Most importantly, they’ll learn principles of social justice and community engagement and the skills that will make them leaders in their community. One regular trip we make is to Pasadena City Hall where the girls learn about the history of the building and gain an understanding of how city government works and how they can get involved. Additionally, throughout the camp the girls learn the interpersonal skills they need to be heard including public speaking, conflict resolution, and team work.

Learning about the girls’ own cultures and history as well as those of their home fosters an understanding of where they come from and how they can be more inclusive, fair, and respectful of other people. In recent years, the girls have learned about the Watts Uprising and the Workers Rights Movement at the California African American Museum and the Social Justice Museum, explored La Plaza de Cultura y Artes and Olvera street, and visited the Watts Towers. The girls also visit art museums to learn an appreciation for all artists and explore different styles. Past trips have included the Norton Simon Museum, the Pasadena Museum of California Art, LACMA, the Getty Museum, Getty Villa, and the Huntington Library and Gardens.

The knowledge we provide helps girls prepare for their FUTURE. During the Camp the girls visit a variety of institutions of higher education so that they can see themselves going to school after high school. Whether it is a community college like PCC, a trade school, a specialty school like the Art Center College of Design, or a 4-year university like CalTech or La Verne University, the girls need to know that these schools are within reach. As a result, they have the opportunity to choose to go where they are comfortable and feel they can reach the goals they set out for themselves.

Furthermore, the girls visit places of business to learn how companies work, what the day to day is like at different workplaces, and learn about entrepreneurship. These are as diverse as a shoe design firm, an engineering firm, a film studio, a magazine, or art conservation. In addition, the program brings in successful women of color to speak about their journey to success and how they were able to achieve their dreams . The goal is for the girls to see the breadth of possibilities available to them and introduce them to potential mentors.