For the past 3 years, the Bensley Agrihood Planning Project (BAPP) cohort has been working to build Bensley Agrihood in North Chesterfield, Virginia. The cohort is comprised of Happily Natural Day, Girls For A Change, and Maggie Walker Community Land Trust. Our proposal is quite simple: acquire 8 acres off of Jeff Davis/Arthur Ashe Blvd and build 10 affordable homes, 4 tiny homes, a community farm… Source ..read more

Camp Diva Leadership Academy is marking its 20th anniversary this summer! In over two decades of serving Black girls, we have learned a lot. We’ve learned how to listen, how to create safe and brave spaces, and how to support, play, and have a good ole time to celebrate Black girls as they transition into a new school year every summer. Camp Diva History Camp Diva wasn’t initially… Source ..read more

“Summertime: The living is easy, school’s (almost) out, and the days are growing longer and hotter — which means there’s plenty of space for cool nights spent on the couch. Curl up with family, pals, or a really big bowl of popcorn, and queue up your next Netflix obsession. From blistering action movies and raucous comedies to tense thrillers and incredible animated films for your whole… Source ..read more

Daughters cleaned up at the Sundance Film Festival. With the “Audience Award in Documentary Competition,” plus the overall “Festival Favorite” award in pocket and the glowing articles from movie reviewers at Essence, Variety and the BBC, the studios came calling. Netflix beat them all, and now, Patton is rubbing shoulders with A-listers like Kerry Washington, an executive producer on… Source ..read more

Incarcerated fathers and daughters reunite at a daddy-daughter dance in Sundance documentary Excerpt From AP News: PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Angela Patton has devoted her career to listening to the needs of young girls. Over a decade ago, the CEO of the nonprofit Girls For a Change and founder of Camp Diva Leadership Academy helped start a program in Richmond, Virginia, that created a daddy… Source ..read more

Subject Matter will award a grant of $25,000 to “Daughters” by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae. The documentary will have its world premiere in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The nonprofit organization Girls For A Change, led by Patton, will also receive a $20,000 grant. “The ‘Daughters’ documentary has been an 8-year journey, and every day of hard work and… Source ..read more

Girls For A Change made Style Weekly Photos of the year! Girl Action Team participant and Thomas Jefferson High School student Iyanna Harris was photographed during our “Show Up, TJ, and Secure the Bag” event as part of RVA FASHION WEEK. See all the photos https://bit.ly/4auLGYO Fashion show participant Iyanna Harris modeling at the The Girls For A Change Thomas… Source ..read more

Greetings! My name is Afryea Williams. I’m 17 years old and in the 12th grade. I am a Peer Advisor for Girls For A Change. A Peer Advisor is an ambassador who endorses all things GFAC. A Peer Advisor works on social media content, promoting GFAC programs, and is an overall leader. This fall, an opportunity for the Peer Advisors to travel to California and Atlanta arose. While in California… Source ..read more

The Hate You Give The Bluest Eye Beloved The Hill We Climb ABC’s of Black History These books have at least two things in common: they were written by Black authors and they were banned in the most recent book banning tirade. For over 100 years — since the days when “banned in Boston” was a badge of honor for hit new Broadway shows – organizations like the ACLU have fought government censorship... Source ..read more

Every year we reflect on our after school programs to recap and celebrate the achievements and stick-to–itiveness of participants. The 2022-2023 school year was especially profound for us as an organization. This year, our partnerships ran deeper as we dreamed up our Girl Action Team projects and program themes, with intention going into the experiences we offered. As we navigate what it means to... Source ..read more