This season, Girls For A Change is stepping boldly into a new chapter of growth, creativity, and community! As we launch our Fall/Winter 2025 After-School Programs, we remain grounded in our mission to create spaces where Black girls are seen, heard, and celebrated. Our programs invite girls to step beyond the classroom, explore their passions, and even travel across the world — including to Ghana as part of our Her Journey Home experience. Along the way, they’ll build leadership skills, earn service hours, and secure summer 2026 internships that strengthen their futures.

In a time when the world needs their brilliance, we are committed to nurturing well-rounded girls who play, rest, learn, and lead with confidence and purpose. At GFAC, we are never uncertain about what Black girls need: our support, guidance, love, kindness, and heart. We are certain of their power and their rightful place in the world. Check out all of our programs here.

Highly recommended by Camp Diva participants! Her Journey Home is a year-long, culturally grounded program for middle school (8th grade) and high school girls (9th–12th grade) open to all new GFAC participants. The program culminates in a transformational 10-day journey to Ghana in 2026, offering girls a life-changing opportunity to connect with their roots, explore their identity, and step confidently into global sisterhood.

With only ten participants selected, the program offers an intimate and intentional journey supported by chaperones, alumnae, and a film crew documenting each girl’s growth and brilliance. Throughout the year, participants will engage in leadership workshops, field trips, and fundraising activities, building skills and confidence for international travel.

In partnership with other girl-centered programs, participants will form a strong sisterhood and co-create a sustainability project, capturing their stories on film as part of a collaborative, creative process. The program transforms passion into possibility—empowering girls to travel intentionally, tell their own stories, and step boldly into their power as global changemakers.

This Girl Action Team invites girls to explore art, writing, dance, music, and culture through the Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz Collection at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA). Over eight months, participants will research family and community history, create cultural “story boxes,” and design original art projects that honor identity and heritage. The program culminates in a public exhibit, where girls proudly serve as curators of their own stories.

Middle school participants will transition to Camp Diva’s Mission in Bloom to prepare for high school, while high school participants will have the opportunity to join our Girl Ambassador Program, gaining paid summer internships at local museums and exploring potential careers in the arts, curation, and cultural preservation.

Together, they are reimagining leadership, creativity, and what it means to change the world — with energy, innovation, and sisterhood that bring learning to life across multiple schools and communities.

This Girl Action Team helps 5th-grade girls prepare for middle school with confidence, creativity, and joy! Inspired by our Mission In Bloom summer program, girls dive into hands-on activities, journaling, and lively book club discussions that spark imagination and self-discovery. Each week, they gather in Sistah Circles filled with laughter, sharing, and real talk about what to expect in middle school—friendships, new responsibilities, and finding their voice. Together, they build sisterhood, confidence, and courage as they step boldly into this next chapter.

By the end of the year, participants are not just middle school ready, they’re blooming with resilience, joy, and purpose. Participants also receive early bird registration for Camp Diva Leadership Academy, with registration fees waived and priority consideration for scholarships (pending funding and availability) to commit to our six-week summer program at the Girls For A Change branch.

The Orchard House Girl Action Team is a year-long, girl-centered program where students meet weekly to strengthen their voices, build confidence, and design community-driven solutions. This year’s capstone project, “Voices from the Orchard” Podcast Series, gives each girl a role as an interviewer, host, researcher, or producer, as they create podcast episodes inspired by their learning and experiences. The year will culminate in a Podcast Listening & Community Dialogue Showcase, where families and peers celebrate their work and affirm the power of girls’ voices.

This Girl Action Team prepares 5th-grade Black girls for the transition into middle school with confidence and joy. Modeled after our Mission In Bloom summer curriculum, the program combines journaling, book clubs, and weekly Sistah Circles to create safe spaces for reflection, self-expression, and belonging. By the end of the year, participants are middle school ready—equipped with the tools, confidence, and sisterhood they need to navigate new challenges and step boldly into this next stage of their journey with resilience and purpose.

The Immersion Lab prepares Black girls to thrive by closing the digital divide and building essential career and business skills. The program provides mentorship, training, certifications, and entrepreneurship opportunities that nurture creativity, confidence, and leadership. Participants work alongside successful professionals to develop and test business ideas, gain hands-on experience through pop-up shops and vending opportunities, and practice pitching to investors—learning the fundamentals of owning and operating a successful business.

At a time when more than 400,000 Black women have lost their jobs, many are turning to entrepreneurship as a pathway to stability and independence. The Immersion Lab helps prepare the next generation to meet that moment—equipping girls to lead with resilience, innovation, and purpose. Grounded in the principles of supporting participants to thrive in the face of adversity, the program teaches girls to embrace challenges, build community networks, and develop the mindset and skills to not only start a business, but to succeed as young founders. This early start lays the foundation for wealth-building, financial confidence, and long-term impact.

Whether participants come with a business idea or not, they leave with real-world experience, mentorship, and the confidence to explore careers, launch ventures, and step boldly into their futures as powerful innovators and entrepreneurs.