Girl, unKnown Inc.

Girl, unKnown Inc. creates sustainable resources, tools, and programs that equip girls and women of all ages and backgrounds to become their best selves.

Video Link  https://youtu.be/XTYDipjE22k
www.girlunknown.org

Girl unKnown Inc. has a sustainable program that continues to create opportunities through life’s changes. Through our program, mentees become mentors simultaneously, creating a strong framework of support for participants and the program itself.

This strong network of women from diverse backgrounds will support and grow women and girl’s skills and opportunities guided by our 7 Pillars of Empowerment.

1. Self-Confidence
2. Self-Esteem
3. Mindfulness
4. Mentorship
5. Entrepreneurship
6. Lifelong Learning
7. Health & Fitness

The program is designed to be duplicated in communities around the world. By creating this foundation for individuals guided by the same principles, we're creating a community of empowerment and opportunities for personal and professional growth for our members.

While all the pillars are important, we find that mindfulness, entrepreneurship, and self-confidence will dramatically help fight the challenges we see today. We want more women as leaders in business, in politics, and our communities.

Our program is aiming to tackle barriers holding women back, fast tracking women in critical sectors, and calling our society to action. Our 7 Pillars of Empowerment previously mentioned are specifically designed with concentration on the barriers that are keeping women from becoming the leaders we know they can be.
Specific programing targeting young girls and women to tackle issues with self-confidence and begin to build habits for success are paramount to seeing more women in business and leadership positions. We know that it is critical to teach young girls about entrepreneurship skills. The skills that it takes to create your own business such as basic knowledge of finances, being a self-starter, and taking charge will help the women and girls of our program in any career. Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do, equality does not exist without equity.

Mission Statement for Girl, unKnown Inc.-By providing women and girls, especially in underserved communities opportunity to enhance their realities through accountability, networking and healthy social interactions, we encourage individuals to explore their social, physical and emotional development and well-being.

Impact Statement for Girl, unKnown Inc.-By providing mentors, education and events for our members that are interested in bettering themselves based on our Seven Pillars of Empowerment and simultaneously provide them with a mentee of their own, we reinforce accountability, support and change for each individual.

Girl, unKnown Inc. provides these services and Girl, unKnown Foundation grants access to the programming by making it affordable for widely underserved populations-making us a hybrid business model (social enterprise) with for-profit and not-for-profit  branches.

Anyone who becomes a member of GUI, joins as part of the Breakthrough Mentoring Program. Through this program two more tracks from our Seven Pillars of Empowerment are chosen by the member. (Everyone has automatic enrollment in our Mentorship Pillar.) Members then sit with a Professional Pillar Partner to set goals and intentions, then invited to events and classes with our Instructor Pillar Partners to fulfill set Pillar Minute Goals. Members on similar tracks are given the opportunity to meet and can choose their mentor/mentee, otherwise they are given suggestions in app within two weeks of joining.

We have the ability to track member progress through strategic KPIs at well placed check-in points built into our infrastructure with our Professional and Instructor Pillar Partners. Members are also responsible for progress tracking and mapping made easily accessible through the Girl, unKnown Inc. App.

The most unique part of our programing is that no participant can "age out". We have programming that is designed to grow with mentee’s to mentor’s as they progress. GU hosts conferences, networking events, workshops and more targeted at our career age demographic. While there will be similar opportunities for the younger members of our community there will be additional programing tying these two groups together for community action, mentoring, skill building, and more.
The program is also designed to create a worldwide self-supporting marketplace for both the girls and women of the GU community to promote/sell goods and services to each other and the public. It is paramount that our participants understand the benefits of being self-supporting in both their personal and professional lives. The GU community will be a one-stop place for all women despite their current needs, backgrounds, and future goals, we are inclusive to all.

Girl, unKnown Inc. has been built to scale from its foundation and can be re-created in any community around the world. The proposed GU Application for smartphone and desktop allows our community to be accessible anywhere. The program works with local businesses and professionals who as Pillar Partners are integral as supporters and implementers of our program. Because the program is built on strong pillars of values, we are able to locate businesses and professionals within any community that align with our mission. The COVID pandemic has also given us insight in how a virtual connection can play a part in helping to fill gaps that may exist between participants and Pillar Partners in their community. In this virtual world we are able to track, support, implement, and attain the goals and achievements of the GU community no matter their location.
When scaling to other cities we hope to connect with a local ambassador and create a local GU leadership team. Having feet on the ground in each community will be pivotal to the success of our participants. A local leadership team will ensure that the integrity and safety of the program exemplifies continuity. By having a local leadership team in each community that GU has substantial membership, we can best provide our programming and support. Local leadership will have the best pulse on local opportunities for business sponsorship, participant growth opportunities, and unique programming.

Our first milestone is to obtain the funding to create the GU application that will provide a place for networking, tracking goals, and the marketplace. The application is pivotal in connecting the GU community and providing the ability to support one another through the marketplace. Without the funding, the hope would be that this could be achieved within 3 years. However, with the grant this application would be created within months of receiving funding. The GU App will provide the baseline of engagement for our programing.

Our app is another place where we propose to measure and track KPIs, as members go through Pillar Tracks, they are encourage to share it with us in the "Track Your Progress" Feature. This gives us direct data to analyze our effectiveness and provide encouragement and support. If a member isn't happy with some aspect of their journey, we allow for open and direct communication to their direct area leadership team, which then discussed with the Executive team to determine an action plan.

With the GU Application for smartphone and desktop we are able to reach anyone with an internet connection. We have found that businesses are also eager to support our cause. Our greatest current obstacle is startup funding. Because the programming is so fluid and can be re-created in a variety of communities, we do not see an obstacle in creating and running the programming provided adequate financial support.
Without the use of grant monies we are working on providing funds for programming through donation, membership fees, and fundraising. As an already inclusive community we have accommodated for a variety of disabilities that our current members have. Further membership fees and other income to the non-profit will go towards providing more inclusive programming and overtime will be self-sustaining. With this structure our only obstacle is gaining enough financial momentum.

Our streams of income for self-sustainability-GUI is a membership based organization with plans and projections for a multimillion dollar business. We have working relationships with Pillar Partners that is fee-based for client referrals. Another main revenue streams is a fair fee structure for our Aurelia MarketPlace Sellars. Our event tickets, merchandise and magazine sales rounds out our revenue portfolio.

Our budget has been created with the goal that GU will scale into a 30+ location organization.  The bulk of start up costs include program costs, creating the Girl UnKnown Application for smartphones, obtaining technology equipment, getting legal structure throughout the US, and many other small one-time costs.

The Girl, unKnown Inc. Team is so proud and excited to present to you our life's work. Up to this point we have been a small crew of ladies and a gentleman with a 'can do' attitude doing this work out of the kindness of our hearts.  We have become very clear in our goals on how we can really be a platform for self development and be change agents for the most good possible and still make excellent profit.

We would like to say thank you and humbly submit our request for review!

-Alexis Hughes-Williams
Founder & CEO
Girl, unKnown Inc.