On March 23rd, Dr. Verna Price will host and sponsor the first international global Girls Taking Action leadership from the Literacy Center at 627 W. Broadway in Minneapolis.
Founded by Dr. Verna in 2005 in one Minneapolis high school, Girls Taking Action provides after school programming for junior and senior high girls. The program has grown to serve 350 girls at 16 schools in the Twin Cities metro and St Cloud.
The acclaimed Minnesota-based nonprofit that has transformed the lives of countless underserved girls in Minnesota is expanding its reach to inspire girls across the world.
Girls Taking Action has established a presence in Africa and Central America utilizing the curriculum developed by Dr. Verna. Girls are participating in chapters that have sprung up in Guatemala, Ghana, Kenya, and Liberia, with new chapters now being established in Ethiopia and Costa Rica.
“I have a global vision. This work is for girls and women around the world. We are interconnected,” Dr. Verna said. “We will pull girls and women elders from seven countries. Our goal is for them to understand their personal power in a global context.”
The Girls Taking Action international leadership conference will tap the expertise of the women leaders involved in chapters across the globe.
“I want to expose our girls to established, professional women around the world who are doing amazing things. They will hear, see and interact with extraordinary leaders who are where they want to go,” she said.
An author, speaker and host of Dr. Verna’s Virtues on the ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com podcasting platform, Dr. Price is co-founder (with her husband Brother Shane Price) of the Power of People Leadership Institute in Minneapolis.
The Institute also provides programming to young males through its Boys of Hope chapters. Its Re-Planting program empowers and prepares men exiting the criminal justice system to find success in careers and community.
Girls Taking Action is in a major growth phase, adding new members in several African countries where chapters are thriving; as many as 90 chapters are expected to be integrated into schools within the next year.
“I know many of our girls have experienced hardship. We say, you can’t use that as an excuse to not try and try again,” she said. “The magnet of this curriculum is teaching that everyone is born with power, enough power to create change wherever they are. My message is, don’t wait to start leading; lead where you are.”