Kileya Johnson is a good student, but as a high school freshman, she preferred to blend into the background. Now 17 and a senior at Meadowbrook High School in North Chesterfield, Johnson is confident, assertive and unafraid to take the lead.
She credits the change to the Girl Ambassador Program, an initiative of the nonprofit Girls For A Change, which her mother, Karlette Johnson, encouraged her to join three years ago. “My mom knows I have a lot of potential but wanted me to see it for myself,” Johnson says.
Founded in 2000, Girls For A Change aims to empower Black young women through after-school programs, its Camp Diva leadership academy, a career and tech immersion lab, peer advisor program, and the Girl Ambassador Program. The nonprofit’s CEO, Angela Patton, says the programs teach middle school and high school students skills they need to succeed in the classroom and in career and leadership roles later in life. Girl Ambassador participants attend after-school classes twice a week for four years, participating in leadership development curriculum and paid summer internships with partner organizations. The program serves 20 to 30 girls each year.
“Our mission is to prepare Black girls for the world and the world for Black girls,” says Patton, who is also the producer of the critically acclaimed documentary “Daughters,” about girls’ relationships with their incarcerated fathers, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
The acronym for the program is GAP, and Patton says they are striving to close persistent gender and wage gaps. Black women represent 7.4% of the U.S. population but hold only 1.4% of senior executive positions and less than 1% of information technology jobs, according to a 2020 study by Lean In and a 2023 report in Forbes, respectively. Women earn 82 cents for each dollar men make, even though women are more likely than men to have a college degree, according to the Pew Research Center.
“We are dedicated to helping our girls overcome these challenges and develop the skills necessary to achieve their life goals,” Patton says.
Girl Ambassador Program participant Kanisha Wilson and GFAC CEO Angela Patton
Life Coaching
The Girl Ambassador Program goes beyond classroom instruction and mentoring, according to Patton. The highly involved coaches tailor their strategies to each girl. “Our coaching methods are embedded into every aspect of our program,” she says. “We provide tools, resources and structured support to help girls navigate their journey, much like how a coach would prepare athletes for their games. This approach ensures the girls are not just passively receiving advice but are actively engaged in a process that promotes their development and success.”
Na’Kera Richardson is a coach, director of operations of Girls For A Change and facilitator for the Girl Ambassador Program. “One thing I always talk to my girls about is finding the joy,” she says. “Sometimes society puts on us that we are what we produce, forgetting we’re human first. I tell them to make sure you’re finding what you like, what you enjoy and what’s true to you. Don’t listen too much to what others want you to do.”
Johnson says this advice helped her manage her time and focus her efforts. “One day last year, Sister Na’Kera noticed I was feeling really stressed and overwhelmed, and she sat me down. I decided to make changes to my schedule and not just do things to do things,” she says.
Richardson knows that, by following their passions, the girls are more likely to stick with something and excel. It’s wisdom she gained firsthand. Once a middle school teacher, Richardson found a better career fit in the nonprofit world. She reminds the girls they might change their minds, too, and with a strong foundation and a college degree, they can choose their path.
During an afternoon session last spring, Richardson asked the girls to create a mock college schedule by picking classes and extracurricular activities from their choice of four area universities. “You need to make sure you’re interested in not only the academic experience but the social experience as well,” she advised them. “What organizations will you join? It’s very important to how comfortable you are and if you’re going to do what it takes to stay there.”
For Richardson, working with the girls in the program is a form of paying it forward. She says her middle school teacher took a special interest in her future, and she’s honored to do the same for her students today.
“Throughout my journey here, I’ve really been able to watch the girls grow so much, have amazing experiences and go off to college to places like George Washington [University], Howard [University], VCU [Virginia Commonwealth University], Virginia State and Spelman [College in Atlanta],” she says. “I’ve also grown so much through Angela, who inspires us to embody the traits we want for these girls.”
Seizing Opportunity
Patton believes that Black women can’t afford to let an opportunity pass them by. She tells students to follow their hearts and speak up. The advice made a difference to Kileya Johnson.
At the end of her freshman year, Johnson was interested in being one of five GFAC peer advisors for other high school students in the program. Instead, she kept the desire to herself, assuming she was unqualified.
“Sister Angela pulled me aside and told me it was important to advocate for myself — the worst people can say is no,” she recalls. Patton’s confidence in her was the nudge Johnson needed. She applied for and was chosen for the position and has since served as an advisor to dozens of other girls.
Similarly, Johnson has always enjoyed chorus but says she was never brave enough to sing solo. With confidence gained through the Girl Ambassador Program, she recently sang the national anthem in front of her school.
“I’ve stepped out of that shell,” she says. “Now I’d rather put myself in an area to do something that I’ve always wanted to do, rather than keep it inside or chicken out.”
Na’Kera Richardson
One thing I always talk to my girls about is finding the joy. ... I tell them to make sure you’re finding what’s true to you.
—Na’Kera Richardson, director of operations, Girls For A Change
Johnson says she’s also been inspired by coaches like Jesika McDaniel, a teacher at Henrico High School who graduated with an engineering degree from Virginia Tech and leads the Girl Ambassador Program’s environmental engineering class on Saturdays.
“Coach Jesika was one of the only Black people in the engineering program in college, and the only girl, and to be both — a Black girl? Not only is that scary, but it’s also amazing that she was able to do that,” Johnson says. “She’s come so far, and now she’s back helping us learn to follow our own dreams no matter what.”
Real Work Experience
The Girl Ambassador Program also exposes students to job opportunities near and far. In 2023, five peer advisors went to Los Angeles and San Francisco to tour The Walt Disney Studios, including Pixar and Lucasfilm. “It was a really cool learning experience to understand how the film industry works and see all the different kinds of jobs that are out there,” says Asani Ka-Re, 17, a senior in the program who also attends Meadowbrook.
In addition, each summer, students work as paid interns at local businesses. They participate in speed networking events and interviews before being matched with companies that align with their personalities and career goals.
Ka-Re worked for two women-owned Richmond companies in 2023: Elevation Advertising and women’s clothing store Verdalina. “It was great to get a job at places that will give me experience in what I want to do one day,” she says. “I really enjoyed working in retail and marketing, understanding how the companies work, and expanding my skill levels.” Ka-Re hopes to attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University next year; her goal is to earn a doctoral degree and become a college professor.
In 2022, Johnson interned at the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust and then in 2023 for Allianz Travel in human resources and marketing services. In 2024, she interned in the project management and engineering departments at Gilbane Building Co. “I’m getting a more realistic view of the workplace and getting the background on how a company runs,” she says.
(From left) Kileya Johnson, Angela Patton, Kaitlyn Johnson, Asani Ka-Re, Na’Kera Richardson and Kanisha Wilson
Self-Love
Just as important as career readiness is building self-confidence and body positivity. In fall 2023, the GFAC peer advisors attended the Justice for Black Girls Conference at Spelman College in Atlanta. The national organization empowers Black female students to see themselves as leaders who can break through societal barriers.
Ka-Re says the conference was a highlight of her program experience. “We learned about the struggles and the great things of being a Black girl,” she says. “It was really cool to be in a space with people who look like me and talk like me. It was really inspiring.”
Johnson appreciated the honest conversations about self-image. “I’ve always struggled with my hair,” she says. “I have really thick, long hair, and my mom would always flat iron my hair like hers to make sure it was nice and straight. It’s not a bash on my mom — but she could see the negative connotations about our hair being ‘nappy’ or ‘bad’ and wanted to protect me.”
Johnson has been embracing her natural curls post-conference. “Now I rock my hair like I want to. I love my hair curly,” she says.
The conference also addressed the adultification of Black girls, a harmful perception that Black girls are less innocent, more adult-like and need less protection than their white peers. A study by the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality traces this bias back to slavery.
The discussion resonated with Johnson. “I first hit puberty when I was 10 or 11 and started getting comments. It made me feel uncomfortable,” she says.
Ka-Re has learned that while you can’t change other people, you can change your reaction to them. “At the end of the day, keep walking with your head up high and do your thing,” she says.
Eyes on the Future
Johnson thanks the Girl Ambassador Program for her personal growth. “I’m more responsible and better at compromise and sharing ideas,” she says. “I know how to build my way into things rather than stay on the outside. I’m more willing to speak out for myself, and I’ve learned to solve my own problems before I can effectively help others.”
In her room at home, Johnson has created a “wall of achievements” to remind herself of her hard work. “I have a whole line of stuff from Girls For A Change, and I’ve included certificates and awards from chorus, speech and our Shark Tank competition through our school’s speciality center, the Meadowbrook Academy for Developing Entrepreneurs,” she notes.
Johnson hopes to attend George Mason University next fall to study business and criminal psychology. She’s poised, prepared and ready to seize every opportunity. While she’s perfectly capable of handling anything that comes her way, she’s grateful knowing her peers and coaches at Girls For A Change are there for her just in case.
“I’ve always had the support from my family, but now I have a separate support system, like a sisterhood,” she says.
Janiyah Price, a mentee in VisArts’ Make Space program
The Art of Mentorship
Pairing coaching with craft projects can spur conversation and help kids connect
Make Space, an after-school enrichment program at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, pairs female mentors with sixth-grade girls attending Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School, a private school on the East End for families with limited economic resources. Once a week from October through March, the girls ride a bus from school to VisArts in the Fan and spend three hours learning from artists, completing creative projects and interacting with their mentors. More than 200 women and girls have participated in Make Space since it was founded in 2008.
“It’s important for us that the artists look like the girls,” says Katie Thomson, a trained social worker who co-leads the program at VisArts. “We seek out women as well as women of color who work in art to show the girls this is something that’s achievable.”
There are weekly art projects such as tie-dye, pottery, painting and sewing to inspire self-expression and conversation. “Kids, especially this age, don’t enjoy having eye-to-eye conversations,” Thomson says. “With art, kids are doing stuff with their hands and mentors are there encouraging them. It’s a natural way to be with each other. You’re just talking and not overthinking it.”
In addition to completing more than a dozen art projects — which the girls take home at the end of the program — students and mentors attend “Girl Talk” sessions. Thomson covers topics such as self-awareness, compromise, bullying, and managing their relationships and emotions, helping the girls connect their minds and bodies.
“If they’re upset or nervous, their pulse might be racing, they might be sweating, or their stomach could hurt — if you can name it, you can tame it,” Thomson says. “You can figure out why you’re reacting this way and work on those emotions. It takes a lot of practice, but listening to your body is a great starting point.”
The program seeks to build positive relationships and to expose the girls to the arts and different cultures, Thomson says.
The mentors get just as much out of the experience as the girls, she adds. No art or mentorship experience is necessary, just dependability and an openness to new experiences. Monthly training sessions are presented to mentors by guest organizations such as Mentor Virginia and SCAN.
“The program helps mentors with misconceptions they might have about poverty, [to] see their own biases and change that kind of thinking,” Thomson says. “These students have parents who are involved and supportive but have to work, sometimes two jobs, and can’t get them to after-school activities.”
Mentor Zainab “Zay” Bynum is an illustrator. The United Kingdom native moved to Richmond after a stint in California and was looking for an opportunity to meet people and get involved in the arts. “I got matched up with Janiyah, and she’s the most awesome mentee,” Bynum says. “She comes every week, she’s very positive and has the best attitude. It’s been really enjoyable.”
“And she’s the best mentor ever,” adds Bynum’s sixth grade mentee, Janiyah Price. “I like how she’s creative and has fun with me. My favorite activity is pottery because I love to get messy and make whatever I want. I think Make Space is really fun to do after school instead of staying at the house.”
A different pair struggled to connect, Thomson says, but by the end of the school year, the student finally joined the activities and even thanked her mentor for caring about her and being so positive. “It’s a testament to how important it is just to keep showing up for someone,” she says.
Jackie Dondero, a former teacher who now works as a corporate trainer for a software company, and their mentee, Sarai Taylor, hit it off right away. “It’s a really nice opportunity to build a connection with a kid that you otherwise wouldn’t have an association with,” Dondero says. “I got lucky to be matched with someone who is really sweet and has similar values as my own. They supported me, and I supported them.”
Dondero says it’s a special time to be with the girls, who are on the precipice of their teenage years. “Sarai has such a childhood wonder that was so nice to be around. As adults, we forget to just let go.”
Janiyah Price, a mentee in VisArts’ Make Space program
Mentorship Opportunities
This is a sampling of programs in the region that help young people. For more general opportunities, visit volunteermatch.org.
