HERstory
Why does society want this to continue being the story of our Black girls?
This video depicts what is not being discussed in mainstream conversations.
Project DIVA International is on the front lines of
ensuring our girls have sacred spaces both virtually and literally - in spite of the lack of love and grace being shown towards them in the world.
OUR STORY
Celebrating the 'Little Girl in Black Girls!
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Now more than ever before, girls need spaces to think, breathe and BE. Girls enrolled in Project DIVA International are inspired to have us emotionally and economically guide them into the sustainable lifestyles that they envision.
They love being supported in knowing that their inner visions are attainable.
We exist to support brilliant, trail blazing Black girls who desire to get results in their lives, now!
To get these results, our girls are stepping up to be challenged, take on opportunities, get assistance with life, commitment management skills and to articulate their voice in our space. They really value our women members who are making time to inspire them and who are cheering them on as they make no excuses towards attaining their visions.
Project DIVA began in 2007/08 as a pilot program out of Dunwoody Academy in Minneapolis. From February to June, of that school year, Neda Kellogg, Etosha Cook and Jahonna Olsen guided girls towards a self-discovery journey learning how their academic, social and emotional behaviors affected their lives both in and outside of school.
These girls were so changed throughout that school year that they asked the growing Project DIVA leadership team if they would bring it back the next school year. The leadership team enthusiastically said yes, arranged to align programming with the academic year, and established Project DIVA as a 501(c)(3) organization. Project DIVA was officially born in May 2009.
Project DIVA has identified consistent programming, mindset shifts and availability of opportunities as key reasons our girls have maintained a less than 1% teen pregnancy rate, 100% school year completion rate, a 99% graduation rate and a 94% economic literacy increase since the beginning of the program.
The true success of the program, however, is not found in numbers, but rather in the growth of the girls in the sisterhood.
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16 Years Later . . . as Project DIVA International, we are now taking girls from the United States, virtually and literally, into other countries exposing them to global and economic mindsets through securing national and international connections! We are providing them with investment opportunities in middle and high school so that they are in a flow of managing them before graduating high school. We are supporting them in opening up small businesses and teaching how to soar above the clouds through our aviation club which is setting a foundation for them to increase the number of Black women in aviation!