GirlBoss New Zealand

The mission of GirlBoss New Zealand is to lift the social and economic progress of women by inspiring, educating and equipping them with future-focused skills and capabilities.

The Elevate Prize funding would enable our organisation to put our long term strategies in place and to bring this vision for humanity to life.

We have years of experience delivering inspiration, mentoring, and education to young women and we are currently developing an online Academy of Learning which brings together the best of our knowledge of what works.

The GirlBoss Academy will include Community Engagement; Interactive learning; Livestream inspirational interviews; 1:1 mentoring opportunities, access to more than 75,000 educational videos; and specially curated content around future focussed topics such as emerging technologies, career development, STEM skills and leadership. 

The Elevate Prize would enable us to resource and manage the platform effectively and to focus solely on its delivery and impact. The funding, coupled with the expertise, networks and support offered by MIT will enable us to reach beyond New Zealand to the Pacific Islands of Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands and beyond, creating an Asia Pacific Powerhouse of confident, diverse, and empowered women.

GirlBoss New Zealand was founded in late 2015 as a result of my own experiences as a teenager growing up in Auckland, New Zealand. I was 15 before I met a female software engineer. At 16, I was the only girl in my Digital Technology class and at 17 I was the only girl studying Advanced Physics. 

I knew that something had to change. Were there other young women across the country sitting in classrooms feeling isolated and alone because they dared to be different?

From that initial point of isolation, I started GirlBoss NZ, and it has grown into a  network of 13,500  high school-aged members nationwide. Our programmes have been implemented in over 100 schools across New Zealand, Australia, and The Cook Islands and thousands of young people have participated via GirlBoss’ online career accelerators.

I have worked full time on the organisation for 6 years and I am currently furthering my professional knowledge via a Masters in Emerging Technologies. I was named Pacific Young Entrepreneur of the Year and in Forbes 30Under30 Asia 2021.

I am dedicated to transforming the lives of young women and I wake up each day energised by the urgency of this work.

GirlBoss New Zealand is combating the problem of the under-representation of women, in particular women of colour, in STEM, Leadership and Entrepreneurship. Only 3% of 15 year old girls are even considering a career in Technology and only 2% of our NZX CEOs are women.

We are addressing this problem via:

• Community: GirlBoss New Zealand is a community of 13,500 making us New Zealand’s largest network for young women. 

• Internships: We bring high school aged young women into the workplace for a 5 day rapid-fire corporate internship. We are New Zealand’s leading internship coordinator for high school students and we work with New Zealand’s biggest employers.

• Digital Programmes: We have created New Zealand's most comprehensive online career accelerators. Over 1400 young women and 600 corporate mentors have gained the GirlBoss Edge as a result of our 100% digital 10 Day Career Accelerator. 

• Award Scheme: Our annual GirlBoss Awards recognise trailblazing young women aged 11 - 18 from across Aotearoa. This is New Zealand’s largest Awards Programme for youth.

Independent research from One Young World, has shown that our total financial income since August 2017 is $1,000,000 and the total value generated from our programmes is $13,000,000.

In the traditional education environment, access to role models and opportunities are often limited to those in a person's school or community. Teachers may lack expertise in emerging technologies leading to inequitable outcomes across and between schools. While talent falls equally across society, opportunities do not.

As a youth-led, technology-based organisation in the education space we are dedicated to meeting young women wherever they are. Our online platforms allow us to personalise learning and to create 1:1 and group mentoring opportunities which go far beyond the young women's immediate community.

We have formed partnerships with multiple corporate and government organisations which allows us to execute at speed to create massive support for young women. In 2020, 600 mentors and 1200 young women achieved wrap around support via our online programme with 93% of participants describing the experience as life changing and completion rates over 90%.  

International fellowships and opportunities via Three Dot Dash as a Global Teen Leader, Cambridge University as a Commonwealth Young Leader and Facebook as a Leadership Fellow enable me to bring together some of the most inspirational role models and mentors to inspire our participants, forever expanding their horizons of what they can be and achieve.   

GirlBoss NZ started because I felt alone in my STEM classes and I questioned whether it was the right place for me. I felt an urgency to improve the social and economic progress of women and I thought, "If not me, who? If not now, when?

6 years later I can be proud of our impact:

• 40,000 Students engaged in workshops/keynotes

• 13,500 Members

• 800 Corporate volunteers

• 1,200 GirlBoss Edge Online Accelerator Alumni

• 100+ High Schools

• 85 Corporate internship placements

• 23 GirlBoss Award Winners

Now when a young woman in NZ struggles as the only girl in her classes, she knows that she is not alone. When a woman of colour looks up she can see role models who look like her and be inspired and mentored by them. The path has become clearer and they can see themselves on it.

"GirlBoss has given me a real sense of Tūrangawaewae (a place of standing) in this world. Having a community of other passionate young women, from all over New Zealand, has truly impacted how I walk down the street. I walk taller, I think more of myself, I feel connected to others. It has been an amazing journey. " 

 GirlBoss Member

The current number of people we are directly serving: 13,500

The number you’ll be directly serving in one year: 15,000

The points below illustrate the process of working from wider engagement through to deep targeted engagement:

Societal impact

• 13,500 young women enrolled in the programme which include seminars, webinars, learning modules, and capturing and sharing participant stories

• 10,000 active participants in online learning communities

• 100% participants demonstrating learning through a structured micro-credential framework at their appropriate levels of attainment

• 90% of participants have increased confidence in STEM, leadership, and entrepreneurship

Community impact

• 10% of participants developed as mentors and mentees through the coaching and mentoring programme

• 10% of participants reached through place-based learning hub opportunities and online field trips

Individual impact

• 240 individuals supported through indigenous entrepreneurship, residential deep learning experiences, and curating stories of impact

Indigenous and underrepresented communities impact

• 30% of participants through our programme represent our Māori (indigenous), Pasifika (minority), rural communities and people living in poverty 

We are working towards Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender equality.

GirlBoss Academy will be built on a digital platform. Our capacity will need to be extended both in terms of infrastructure and depth of content. We are trialling platforms and models of delivery and further refining content development.

Many current offerings do not reach all of the underrepresented communities we would like to empower. We will address this by building on our extensive connections with Māori and Pasifika networks, businesses, NGOs and government organisations who have demonstrated their support for closing the gender equity gap. We will ensure that the design of the programme is inclusive and will build relationships that enable young women from diverse backgrounds to see themselves in the programme. 

We recognise the unique strengths of MIT Solve having a global network of expertise and will value your support in overcoming these barriers. We support your mission and commitment to being part of a global movement that takes action to address global challenges. We would value an opportunity to be part of the MIT Solve Elevate Prize Family and explore and complement other initiatives MIT Solve is leading or funding. 

The Elevate Prize will enable us to rapidly progress towards achieving our goal of empowering young women.

The International experience, platform and networks which I would gain as an Elevate Prize Winner will enable me to bring the best global thinking back to New Zealand. In turn, I hope that my entrepreneurial mindset and Pasifika heritage offer a unique perspective that can contribute to the development of other Elevate Prize Winners. This opportunity would allow me to connect and share stories with rangatiras (leaders) from across the globe. 

The Maori Indigenous and Pasifika populations are marginalised communities within New Zealand. Being Part Samoan, I am passionate about using my voice and profile to advocate for Pasifika voices and people. Pasifika people are often impacted by problems within our society the most, from rising sea levels impacting small island nations like Samoa to Health Problems from overcrowded, Multigenerational homes. For my advocacy, I was named the Prime Minister's Pacific Youth Award Winner in 2019 by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Being an Elevate Prize Winner would enable me to continue to advocate for Women, Pasifika People, and Youth on a larger global platform.

GirlBoss New Zealand is a grassroots organisation founded by young women for young women. Established in 2015, it has become a trusted and recognised brand and is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest organisation for young women. All GirlBoss NZ full-time staff are of Pasifika descent and we are passionate about empowering diverse youth. 

Vicky Crawford, Education & Partnerships:
Vicky is a senior teacher with 20 years of experience in New Zealand in both primary and secondary settings. She co-founded the Albany NEXT Business Academy, is a member of the Upper Harbour Financial Capability Advisory Board and has been a Toastmasters president. She a well respected Samoan Educator with decades of knowledge-creating Educational content.

Alexia Hilbertidou, Founder & CEO, GirlBoss NZ:
Alexia will be the Main Facilitator and has substantial public speaking experience. I am a professional speaker who has spoken at over 150 corporate and community events to over 80,000 people.

I started GirlBoss NZ as a result of my own experiences. When I was 16 I was the only girl in my Technology and Physics class. As the only girl, I felt isolated and alone and struggled to maintain my belief that STEM was a place for me. These experiences inspired me to found GirlBoss NZ. Every day, New Zealand women of all ages sign up to become GirlBoss members and supporters, united by the understanding that if we are going to improve outcomes for women we will need to work together.

GirlBoss NZ has established relationships, networks and ways of working that gives us the credibility, authenticity and trust necessary to build empowering spaces in Aotearoa New Zealand. We have the momentum, network, and understanding to engage with and interrupt status quo perceptions of women in STEM, entrepreneurship and leadership. 

GirlBoss New Zealand has incredible reach. GirlBoss has 13,500 members and programmes have been implemented in 100 schools across New Zealand, Australia and the Cook Islands. GirlBoss NZ has a network of 980 mentors. There is significant interest in extending this engagement by reaching more participants and adding depth to our existing impact through the GirlBoss Academy. 

At 14 I was the only girl in my Digital technology class and at 16 I was the only girl in my Advanced Physics class. It wasn’t easy being a short, brown, outspoken female in this environment but I stuck at it.

At 16, I entered a coding competition. I prepped hard and after two full days of competition, I was delighted to be announced a winner. I was thrilled. 

The next day my proud teacher announced the news to the boys in class. I waited for the applause, the slaps on the back, the congratulations from the boys in my class. Instead, they swarmed their tone interrogative, ignorant and condemning.

 “You only won because you are a girl”  

 “They probably just wanted you for their promotional ads.” 

After 6 months of putting on a brave face at these insults and working diligently, I  broke down.  

This experience in my IT class, the injustice of it, changed my life forever. 

My love of tech was no longer about me, it was about all the girls who were struggling to stay true to themselves and their ambitions. I started GirlBoss NZ because I wanted to create change. Now, we are unstoppable. 

Here is a selection of documentaries, television interviews and speaking engagements I have been involved with:

Speaking Engagements: 150+ year in New Zealand.

One Young World London 2019

Startup Grind

Documentaries

Daughter of the Migration

TV:

The AM Show (Most Watched Breakfast Show in NZ)

https://www.facebook.com/watch... 

The Paul Henry Show (Most famous News Presenter in NZ)

https://www.facebook.com/watch...

The Elevate Prize will enable us to support young women in acquiring skills and confidence to succeed through improved STEM knowledge, leadership support, and entrepreneurial education.

We aim to turn a moment into a movement and shift the narrative in New Zealand.  Our new narrative is based on a belief that all young people in Aotearoa New Zealand should have equal access to opportunities, choice, and power. The stories we will tell are about commitment, brilliance and success that challenge gender stereotypes and inspire young women to pursue and succeed in traditionally male-dominated fields.

With support from MIT Solve, The GirlBoss Academy approach will highlight and facilitate opportunities in fast-growing STEM fields and change the stats around women in technology. The lack of women pursuing careers in the technology sector exacerbates the undersupply of talent which has repercussions for the local economy. 

Many women in our nation are missing out on the opportunity to participate in fast-growing, fulfilling and well-paid careers. The GirlBoss Academy will serve to close this gender equity gap.

The GirlBoss Academy will show that economic empowerment of young women and girls is achievable right now, in this generation.

We have partnered with New Zealand's largest employers and Government Agencies. For example the Ministry of Education, Fletcher Building, ANZ, PwC New Zealand, The Ministry for Primary Industries, ZURU, and The New Zealand Navy.

Our partners support our flagship programmes below:

GirlBoss Edge

 a 10 Day Fully-Online Career Accelerator  (www.girlbossedge.com.) Supported by The Ministry for Primary Industries and The Ministry of Education. 

GirlBoss Advantage - a 5 Day Rapid Internship Programme (www.girlbossadvantage.com)

GirlBoss Advantage is the first internship programme in New Zealand specifically for High School aged students. Supported by Fletcher Building and ANZ. 

GirlBoss In-School Workshops and GirlBoss One Day Future CEO Summits are supported by schools and local council funding. 

GirlBoss Connect Summits 

We partnered with the Ministry for Primary Industries to run Connect Summits in 8 Regional Centres across New Zealand.

The GirlBoss Awards are supported by 11+ corporate organisations