Latest news with #GirlsInc
CBS News
06-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Girls Inc. of Greater Miami empowers young voices through education, confidence-building programs
Eighth grader Anna Pena never imagined she would be standing in front of a crowd, delivering a speech with confidence, but thanks to Girls Inc. of Greater Miami, a nonprofit committed to inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold, Pena and her peers are finding their voices and using them to lead. Girls Inc. of Greater Miami's initiatives focus on building skills in science, math and technology while guiding girls through the everyday challenges they face. New opportunities to shine Pena is experiencing her first year in the program. She told CBS News Miami about the impact the program has had on her. "I was still kind of shy, but now it has made me more confident," said Pena. Pena, along with her peers, just joined the brand-new Girls Inc. speech and debate team, which launched in January. For the first time, they showcased their skills at the Girls Inc. Fuel Her Fire luncheon fundraiser. Founder and CEO of Girls Inc., Virginia Akar, told CBS Miami how the program has evolved over the years. "This is everything culminating in one moment. Everything we started six years ago with one program with 30 girls, today is now 300 girls and eight different programs. So, today is a display of that. Today, for the first time, girls that participate in our Bold Voice Speech and Debate Club, a program that we just rolled out, are here to speak in public for the first time," said Akar. A space to grow and express themselves Eighth grader Isabella Lozano shared how Girls Inc. of Greater Miami has given her a platform to express herself through writing. "I love that I am able to write, because I love to write, but with so many things going on in school, I don't really have that type of time. So, being able to do this extracurricular is amazing for me because it gives me the opportunity to write and the topics they give us are something I am very interested in and something that I feel very strongly about," said Lozano. "Seeing these girls — some of them have been with us since third grade — seeing them evolve into the young women that they are today, powerful in their own selves, confident in who they will become, is really everything. It's a culmination of my why," said Akar. Big dreams, bold goals Akar's early work as a Miami-Dade County prosecutor in the juvenile division laid the foundation for her advocacy on behalf of young girls. She said she has witnessed how providing intentional opportunities for young girls can be truly transformative and her goals for the future of Girls Inc. of Greater Miami are expansive. "We currently partner with five Miami-Dade public schools. The big dream is to partner with every single school in the county. There are 177,000 low-income girls attending Miami-Dade County public schools. We want to reach every single one," said Akar. The girls said they are truly grateful to be part of this empowering program. "I feel so excited and I'm just really grateful. I feel really, really happy about all of this," said Lozano. Akar emphasizes that giving girls access to role models, opportunities and educational training can dramatically change the trajectory of their futures. The Girls Inc. after-school programs are offered to the girls at zero cost to their families. For more information, visit Girls Inc. of Greater Miami. Send us your story at MiamiProud@
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Letters to Elon
Writer and mediator Lucy Moore's ongoing project writing to Elon Musk inspired writer Miriam Sagan to do the same. Elon Musk is my muse, my writerly inspiration. He is also a chaotic, destructive, and unelected force in our federal government. Yet he has become my pen pal, if one sided. How on earth did this happen? In this current political climate, many people I know have felt frightened and helpless. But my friend Lucy Moore, a Santa Fe writer and mediator, took a creative as well as entertainingly sarcastic approach. She says 'Elon Musk was my nemesis, torturing me day and night. I had to do something, and so I wrote him a letter…As Elon Musk asked federal employees to list 5 things they did to justify themselves I wrote him thanking him for the brilliant idea to write down 5 great things I did this week.' I was immediately inspired. Lucy tends to send a postcard, but my hand writing is illegible and I am going on a bit more, so mine is typed. I like to mix obvious actions like philanthropy and calling representatives with a more personal take. At first my notes to Elon were pretty straightforward. Dear Elon Musk, Thanks so much for the opportunity to share 5 things I did last week. I appreciate your interest. Here goes: I participated in the 2/28 buy nothing boycott. I gave $ to Girls Inc. to support empowering young women. I gave $ to New Mexico Coalition Against Homelessness as the HUD grants are vanishing. I took visitors to the Indian Arts and Culture on Museum Hill in Santa Fe, to emphasize diversity. I'm celebrating Mardi Gras because carnival is always about the power of the people. There is more, but these were highlights. Have a nice day. I look forward to checking in next week. Yours, Miriam Sagan But I did not want Elon to get bored, so I started varying things. I'm also sharing things I am refraining from. These include what I am NOT doing: 'Building a case against the situation in Washington, DC. The problems are obvious. Bemoaning that 'no one is doing anything.' We're doing plenty. Becoming depressed or terrified. Cui bono? Feeling I have to come up with the perfect action. That is, not exaggerating my own importance. ( know you'll agree this isn't always that easy). Have a nice day!' As I write Elon each week, I feel motivated to keep doing the things I care about. I've always loved To Do lists and systems as to how to get through my day. This is a natural add-on. As Lucy says: 'You actually do 5 resistance things each week, which is better than wishing you had done something and crawling back under the bed.' And it has been a fascinating literary exercise. After all, numerous novels are 'epistolary'—written in the form of letters, most often by one character without a reply. Often a personal diary is written to an invisible but ideal reader, as in 'Dear Diary.' As I look at the accumulating letters, I see a record of my own life as well as of the larger socio-political sphere. It helps to have an audience and a listener—even if it is Elon Musk. Both therapeutic and micro-activism, writing Elon Musk is fun. Lucy Moore has seen more people join in and write, a group who are doing good deeds and writing '5-things-I-did' postcards weekly. All are welcome to join. You can see Lucy Moore's letters and cards at or on her Facebook, substack and bluesky pages, where you can post your own.
CBS News
09-03-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Girls & Science takes over Colorado State University Spur campus
Girls & Science took over the CSU Spur Saturday. It's all part of CBS Colorado's commitment to helping girls and their families look into a future in science, technology, engineering, and math, or all fields STEM. Saturday was all about finding new ways to explore these careers. One mentor said the event gives them a chance to share their intelligence and their power with everyone. Visitors' first stop was the Vida building to pick up their "Girls think outside the box" kit. They had a chance to watch an on view surgery or learn what it's like to be a veterinarian. One attendee said their goal was to check out the vet area, where visitors learned how to fill out a pet clinic diagnosis chart. At the Hydro building, girls checked out the Sci on the Fly mobile outreach learning lab. Girls Inc. offered games and crafts all geared to encourage girls to explore STEM careers. "I think it's so important for women to join fields that are mostly dominated by men because there haven't been a lot of chances for us to explore these opportunities," said Girls Inc. member Daisy Ortiz. Ortiz said the Girls Inc. Eureka program helped her explore her interest in science, and now she plans to become a forensic scientist. At the Terra building, CBS Colorado's own Alex Lehnert met with girls interested in meteorology. "We're making forecasts today," she shared. CBS Colorado Morning's Alex Lehnert knows a thing or two about the weather, but also about exploring science and finding your fit. "Everything from chemistry, or being a veterinarian, to being a meteorologist. There's so many places that people can go. So, tapping into your creative brain and figuring out what your interests are and using your imagination," said Lehnert. One of the great things about the Girls & Science project is the community conversation between the mentors and members of Girls Inc. Our community conversation is streaming Thursday at 7 p.m. on CBS Colorado. It's a great exploration of STEM careers. Viewers can watch it on a device or the CBS News app.
CBS News
04-03-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Volunteers assemble 1,700 STEM kits for CBS Colorado's Girls & Science event
Girls & Science is a monthlong celebration of all things science, technology, engineering, and math, encouraging girls to pursue careers in STEM. Before our big kickoff event happens, there's a lot of work that goes into it. We got a look at how it's done. Dozens of volunteers are in the gym, thoughtfully packing and stacking 1,700 boxes full of all sorts of goodies. They're special "Think Outside the Box" kits, bringing the Girls Inc. experience right to girls' doorsteps. "Every Girls & Science, we switch what's included in the box," said Kayla Garcia, CEO of Girls Inc. of Metro Denver. "So this year, the theme is all around net zero. You'll find activities about recycling, sustainability, and lots of fun swag." The boxes are designed for girls ages 6-10 to do STEM activities at home. And there are plenty of familiar faces from our team at CBS Colorado helping out, including First Alert Meteorologist Lauren Whitney. "We've been putting the really cool activities from all the different mentors and their companies in these boxes," Whitney said. "So girls who can't come to Girls & Science get to do almost all these same activities or actually more in this really cool box." First Alert Meteorologist Alex Lehnert also helped ensure the box build went off without a hitch. "It gives girls a chance to see there are so many opportunities in the field of science; there's everything from meteorology to veterinary work," Lehnert said. "We want to make sure that girls, starting at the youngest of age, know the possibilities of their career pathways," Garcia added. "It's really wonderful because we've kind of become a little Girls & Science family," Whitney said. "Even past mentors still come in to do the box builds to participate, so it's really fun to see all these women and different organizations come together and participate." You can find out how to order one of these boxes at Plus, Girls Inc. will join us for the Girls & Science kickoff at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. They'll also help with the Girls & Science takeover of Second Saturdays at CSU Spur on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Girls & Science is a partnership between Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and CBS News Colorado.
