BUTTERFLY DREAMZ INC

Our Goals:

1.) Leadership Growth - 90% of interns experience growth in leadership and career skills that contribute to long-term gains, such as thriving, decreased risk-taking behaviors, and improved academic performance.

2.) Leadership Identity - 90% of girls who are actively involved in our Cocoon Club identify as confident leaders and feel they can lead authentically.

3.) Improved Mental Health - 90% of youth who are matched with a Leadership Coach report improvements to their mental health, including lower levels of stress and anxiety.

4.) Post-Secondary Achievement - 90% of youth who are matched with a Leadership Coach receive acceptance into a college, university, or another post-secondary education/career program.

5.) Influential Alumni Network - 80% of alumni graduate from college, university, or another post-secondary education/career program, become volunteer Leadership Coaches, and/or create professional opportunities for other women and girls from marginalized communities.

6.) Financial Sustainability - raise $500K annually to cover operational costs; build and maintain funding relationships and partnerships that help us achieve long-term financial sustainability.

Butterfly Dreamz serves over 500, primarily Black and Latina, adolescent girls and young women annually through our youth leadership development programs, including employing 50 high school and college interns from low-income communities in Northwest, Indiana, Chicago, IL, Northern, New Jersey, and New York City. During our most recent 2021-22 school year, 100% of our graduating seniors were accepted to post-secondary college and/or career programs and over 90% of our interns grew in social-emotional learning (SEL) career skills, measured by a third-party evaluator. Additionally, 100% of our youth interns said Butterfly Dreamz helped them grow as leaders and they would recommend our programs to a friend.

Serving over 500 adolescent girls and young women annually, Butterfly Dreamz facilitates four youth development programs:

1.) Cocoon Club (650 participants) - A supportive community of 100 professional women mentors and 550 teen girls and young women who work together to grow as leaders and achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals.

2.) Write to Lead Internship (19 participants) - high school interns who use creative writing to cultivate courageous conversations and inspire girls in their community to lead authentically. During their internship, Write to Lead interns collaborate with each other to co-author our annual Leadership Journal (butterfflydreamz.org/books) and design thought-provoking content for our Cocoon Club community app.

3.) ExCEL Community Health Fellows (21 participants) - high school and college interns who conduct community-based research projects to examine and tackle health issues impacting women and girls from low-income neighborhoods. Community Health Fellows are trained to be impactful community health workers, using the Butterfly Dreamz IMPACT framework:
I = Intentional & Culturally Appropriate Health Navigation
M = Mentoring & Coaching Women & Girls of Color
P = Purposeful & Passionate Outreach
A = Advocating for Individuals & Communities
C = Community & Individual Capacity Building
T = Thoughtful Evaluation & Research

4.) College & Career Partners -(10 participants) college interns who help high school girls explore post-secondary college and career options and guide them through making informed decisions, completing applications, and transitioning into a new school and work environment.

Working with Butterfly Dreamz staff, our interns help implement our program model, connecting girls to social capital, scholarships, and community partners that provide quality youth leadership development.

Butterfly Dreamz is an intergenerational community of women and girl leaders of color working together to help girls thrive. We provide girls and young women of color, particularly Black girls, with the support and resources needed to achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals. Through community, university, and career partnerships, we establish school-to-career employment pipelines to tackle income, employment, and education disparities that inhibit their success.

During our 2021-22 school year, Butterfly Dreamz successfully hit our projected measurable outcomes, including:

1.) 100% of our graduating seniors who were matched with a Leadership Coach or Peer Mentor were accepted to a post-secondary college or career program.

2.) 91% of Butterfly Dreamz youth interns grew in SEL career skills, as measured by a third-party evaluator (Hello Insight).

3.) 100% of our youth interns said Butterfly Dreamz helped them grow as leaders.

4.) 100% of Butterfly Dreamz youth interns were satisfied with their internship experience and would recommend our programs to a friend.

5.) 85% of alumni remained engaged in our Cocoon Club community, receiving college and career support.

Please visit butterflydreamz.org/impact to read our full FY22 Overview Report.