In the entry way to Girls for a Change stood a whiteboard with the question, “Is this your first time at Market Day?” There were a dozen or so responses underneath written in lots of different handwriting, lots of “no” responses with a handful of “yes” answers and one, “yes, and I’m terrified.”
Camp Diva is a summer camp for Black middle school girls, teaching them about entrepreneurship and other life and business skills. The culmination of the summer program is Market Day, which puts everything the girls have learned over the summer into practice.
The girls were tasked with creating a business name, producing a product, designing a tablescape and running a booth at a real-life marketplace.
Market Day began with set-up and a couple of workshop sessions, one from a local market vendor who developed and sells a gut-health drink, and a virtual session with a jewelry designer who worked on the blockbuster hit, “Black Panther.”
Then, the fun began when the girls’ booths were open for business.
Participants created and curated products of all kinds: vintage clothes, bath bombs, scrunchies, pillows, artwork, crocheted tops, key chains, lip glosses, body scrubs, soap, jewelry, phone covers and more. Like good market vendors, some girls were producing goods right in front of customers, others jumped into a sales pitch to passersby. The best part? These girls were equipped to run the show, accepting everything from cash to Cash App. Talk about tech savvy.
Girls for a Change went live on Instagram during Market Day, so head over to its page to see the girls in action. The event also made the front page of the Richmond Times-Dispatch the following day.
Learn more about Girls for a Change and its programming by visiting its website, or consider supporting the organization with a donation. Featured photo by Jay Paul.
