Project Accelerate

Girls Inc. Project Accelerate is a leadership-based program for 11th grade students and follows them beyond graduation. Project Accelerate aims to fast-track the advancement of young women into leadership and influential roles, especially in industries where pay equity and gender disparities are still pervasive. The program will accelerate young women’s trajectories through college and career entry, leveraging partnerships with corporations and social impact organizations to ensure both their preparation and their access to positions of influence.

Our focus will be on ensuring that young women achieve educational success and develop the skills needed to excel in professional leadership roles within this newly transformed work environment. Project Accelerate will propel women into positions of leadership and influence, enabling them to uplift not only their status but also that of their families, neighborhoods, organizations, and communities.

The work of women leaders significantly improves outcomes for all employees, yet many women continue to face a challenging day-to-day experience at work. Despite slight progress in leadership pipelines, women remain underrepresented at all levels of the corporate ladder. Women of color, in particular, make up just 4 percent of C-suite leaders, a figure that has remained stagnant over the past three years. The research shows that women are more likely than men to have their competence questioned and their authority undermined. Women and others with historically marginalized identities are especially prone to experiencing disrespectful and exclusionary behavior that perpetuates harmful stereotypes.

To learn more about Project Accelerate, contact our Program Specialist, Mary Cate Ramirez at mculbertson@girlsincofchatt.org or call our Program Office at 423-624-5747.