The ladies Sisterhood Boutique, who we first met on Day 43, are women of many talents. They own a shop in Minneapolis – where everything is $12 or less! – and they also have an internship program for high school students. Each quarter, high school girls learn business skills, get advice on career development, and are mentored by the women at the shop.
So we had an idea. Why not partner with The Progressive North – our friends in Changemaking in Minneapolis – to fuel these internships? Generously backed by Pillsbury United Communities and a grant from Wells Fargo, we set out to do just that!
We coordinated one-on-one sessions between everyday adults from ARC, The Progressive North, and youth in this quarter’s cohort. We brought everyone together during one of their regular meetings during the week. Then everyone partnered up – one intern to one adult – and chatted for a few minutes.
The conversation was flowing!
Leah from ARC chatted about career plans with a girl named Nawal. “I used to want to be a surgeon, then a nurse,” she said. “Now, I want to own a pet store because I love animals!” Leah said that was great. She also mentioned that she might consider being a veterinarian because of her love for animals and interested in the medical field. “Oh wow!” said Nawal. “I never thought of that!”
The high school internship program is a big part of what Sisterhood Boutique does. By taking a break in our redesign of their retail space, we were supporting some of the core values that keeps the boutique moving forward and growing. And hopefully, this small step opened some eyes to the opportunities out there, and got the girls thinking just a bit differently about their future.
