$10,000 for Girl Code, a mentorship program focused on increasing the digital literacy of girls in order to accelerate the opportunities for them to thrive in information technology careers. Girl Code provides computer training and certification courses. Participants also learn about a variety of information technology careers and receive assistance with securing internships. Last year approximately 80 girls participated in the program, with 10 obtaining internships. Bee Geek anticipates working with 100-125 girls in the coming year.

$10,000 for Wise Guys, a program committed to reducing teen pregnancy, teen STIs, and teen dating violence by serving teen males with multi-session education prevention classes. Through exploration of harmful gender norms, participants will develop desirable traits of empathy and responsibility, increasing their understanding of women and girls as whole people deserving of respect and consideration in all kinds of relationships. As a result, fewer women and girls will have to make the difficult choices and sacrifices associated with unplanned pregnancy, leading to greater relationship stability, educational attainment, and economic security. The Wise Guys program serves approximately 700 teen males.

$10,000 for Delicious Development, a program that provides economic opportunities to under/unemployed women in the refugee community and aims to foster understanding between the local community and newly resettled refugees by providing a forum for shared purpose (love of food) and an opportunity for learning about one another and engaging in dialogue. The program will serve a rotating pool of 10-12 women, who will be trained over the course of 12 months in culinary skills training, conversational English, financial literacy and budgeting.

$12,010 for P.E.A.R.L.S. (Preparing Eager Achievers to Redirect their Lives Successfully). P.E.A.R.L.S. is a 10-week program geared toward African American and Latina/Hispanic girls ages 12 – 17. The goal of the program is to provide holistic support through counseling, workshops, and activities designed to expose the girls to social, emotional and career development learning opportunities. A total of 25 girls participated in the program this year and more girls expressed interest than the agency could accommodate. As a result, Eliza’s intends to recruit at least 10 additional girls for the upcoming year.

$15,000 for its Student Loan Counseling program. A primary goal of the Student Loan Counseling program is to inform borrowers that federal student loan debt does not go away and can lead to severe consequences if ignored. Statistics show that women take out more student loan debt then men, which further impacts the ability for women to build wealth and lift themselves out of poverty. Financial Pathways will work with the women who attend their workshops to increase their knowledge of the long-term effects of student loan debt and gain a better understanding of repayment options.

$15,000 for LEAD at Winston-Salem Prep. LEAD at Winston-Salem Prep is a pilot program that will provide an on-site fall and spring leadership workshop series after school for girls in grades 6-8. The workshop series will address the four core fundamentals (awareness, communication, leadership, and perspective) of the LEAD Girls program that the Women’s Fund has supported in the past. In addition to LEAD’s typical workshop topics, the program at Winston-Salem Prep will provide an evidence-based literacy component designed to improve girls reading and comprehension. Through a partnership with Wake Forest University’s “Wake Women Lead” program, LEAD Girls will have trained volunteers to work with participants as after school reading/literacy partners. LEAD Girls will serve at least 100 girls in grades 6-8 at Winston-Salem Prep.

$10,000 to conduct educational programming that will help combat teen pregnancy. In the coming year, PPSAT will continue and expand its partnership with Children’sHome Society (Wise Guys) and the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools to provide comprehensive sexuality education to local middle-school students in their classrooms, with PPSAT serving the young women. PPSAT will also use the evidence-based Parents Matter curriculum to engage parents and caregivers in programs to talk openly about adolescence and sexual health. Planned Parenthood will provide multi-session education programs to at least 300 teens and 25 parents.

$9,839 for the Center of Hope Life Skills Program for Women and Teens. The Salvation Army’s Life Skills program is a skill development and behavior modification program using an evidence-based curriculum that seeks to empower low-income women and girls to achieve self-sustainability, healthy households, and future success through education, access to resources, networking with others and mentoring. Through the course curriculum, women receive practical advice and applications, including access to community resources, which help them create a sustainable household. The Life Skills program will provide jobs/career development through education/skills, networking, resources and mentoring for parents, single women and preteens/teens ages 7–18. Fifty-five participants, including 40 women and 15 teens will be impacted by this program.

$15,000 for Flourish, an intensive 18-month program designed to help women who serve as head-of-households transition out of poverty. Flourish uses a holistic curriculum that alternates focusing on financial wellness, health and wellness, career guidance, self-empowerment, and personal resilience. Each weekly session offers childcare and begins with a dinner followed by a presentation from one of Flourish’s partners on the topic for the week. The Shalom Project piloted Flourish earlier this year with success and started its first official nine-month cohort in September.