About GWI > Mission
Ignite your Future with the GWI Innovation Academy
Register by October 6
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Register by October 6 ☆
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has partnered with Girls with Impact to offer LAUSD young women in grades 9-12 a FREE 10-week course in Business and Leadership.
Bring an idea to life in ten-weeks. Through our live, online classes — led by your dedicated business instructor -- we help you find your passion and guide you to build your dream project, provide awesome networking, and arm you with the know-how and gain the confidence to make things happen
Developed with Harvard leaders, our ‘mini-MBA’ program equips girls with the skills, knowledge and confidence to become the leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators of tomorrow.
About the GWI Innovation Academy
Program Details
Develop a venture idea (no idea, no problem!)
10 1-hour classes + 9 activities = a lifetime of success
Live and online - small classes led by expert instructors
Access instructors 1:1 as needed
Classes evenings / weekends (from where ever you are!)
Access all materials and class recordings online
Graduation ceremony and certificate
Why Join?
Set yourself apart
Boost your confidence
Build leadership and public speaking skills
Innovate and make an impact
It's flexible - attend from anywhere!
How To Leverage It?
How to Leverage Your GWI Experience:
Make it your Capstone or Community Service Requirement
Top extra-curricular in college applications
Incorporate into college essay, scholarship applications
Show initiative in college/internship interviews
Boost your resume
Hear from Our Students
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I loved learning the best ways to fully understand my customers. I now know how important it is to establish a target market and ensure opportunities for my company.
Isabella, 16, Maryland
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Since moving to the United States at 16, I have dealt with the duality between following my dreams and juggling my monetary responsibilities. Statistically, I know that my professional journey might look different than some of my peers, but I will not let these numbers scare me or stop me from achieving my goals.
Fernanda, 20, New York
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My journey through this program has been truly transformative. Through the challenges and the hard work, I have come to realize that starting a business requires not only determination, but also a great deal of critical thinking and creativity.
Jacelyne, 22, Ilinois
What You Learn & Create
We have created a robust and detailed program that covers a wide range of business topics and objectives.
FAQs
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Below are the steps a student will go through:
1 - Reserve a place – students fill in a short form and complete checkout with or without provided scholarship code to reserve their place
2 - Introduction - Students recieve class information 2 weeks prior to the session start date
3 - Attend Classes Online – Students meet for a live, engaging online class led by their coach
4 - Updates - Students and Parents are updated with course status throughout the 5 or 10-weeks of live classes
5 - Graduation - Students and their guests are invited to join a graduation event, live-online. Students are emailed digital certificates of completion.
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Select your Start Date & Time from the product above
Fill out a 3-5-minute enrollment form
Click cart - upper right-hand corner
Mark your calendar!
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The Innovation Academy: we should be specific
"The live, online academy program consists of 9 live classes.
Our summer live, online academy is 5 weeks"
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A computer with internet access, smart device / Ipad to join the weekly live classes via video conference
A computer with internet access to be able to complete the weekly assignments
Webcam on the computer is preferable but not absolutely necessary
A quiet place to attend class each week
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30 girls max. This allows us to have an engaging class with a powerful back-and-forth exchange
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They are:
Professionals experienced in entrepreneurship and business
Hold an MBA and/or other related degrees
Excited and committed to help young women succeed
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Yes, standards are:
Respect for others – listen without interruption and respond to communications within a 24-hour time period
Attendance – Attend class on time and at the specified times
No distractions — No eating or texting during class
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Girls With Impact has two Mentorship programs available for all graduates after they complete the Academy Program. Student may opt into either of these programs at any time. See here for additional details on our mentorship programs.
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Students must either attend, or watch the recordings, for ALL classes. The program is structured so that each class builds on the next and missing a class would result in key components of the program being missed.
We provide students with bite-sized pre-recorded modules of each session within their Google Classroom course shell. If they have missed a class or expect to miss a class they can keep up with session by watching these modules.
If a student is not going to be present for a live class, please inform your coach in advance.
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Our program is referred to a “mini-MBA” because we educate girls on many concepts learned in a true MBA program. Our program also includes many personal development learnings.
To view our curriculum overview, go here.
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We say 2 hours a week for a lifetime of success.
Classes are 50-60 minutes each.
Weekly exercises or “BringBacks” to move your project forward take about 1 hour.
The entire program is 10 weeks. Live classes are weekly for 9 weeks.
Note – summer program is 5 weeks total (2 classes/week for 5 weeks, 4 hours/week commitment).