BRAVE INITIATIVES

Brave Initiatives is on a mission to empower young women to view themselves as purposeful, powerful agents of change in the world. As technology becomes a growing industry and a leading topic of discussion, Brave has developed a program that integrates social impact projects, design thinking strategy and web development through coding. Brave believes that all people have the ability to code, but many hold themselves back. To change this, Brave runs a 5-day BraveCamp that gets participants involved in the creative and enthralling process of developing technology using design-thinking tools for social impact.

BraveCamp begins with time for personal reflection and activities that spur self-love and self-discovery. Participants then immerse themselves in relevant community issues of which they feel passionate about and prototype tech-based solutions to those issues using the design process. Participants come away from the camp with fearlessness and self-efficacy towards computer science and their abilities to design solutions using technology that better their communities, and ultimately, the world. The goal of each camp is to challenge girls to step outside of their comfort zones to explore the greater purpose of technology, while guiding them to see themselves as the authors of their own lives. Through hands on learning, games, mentorship and leadership activities, each student will complete the program feeling empowered, supported and purposeful in a new way.

Co-Founder and Director of Business and Corporate Relations, Jen Kamins, previously worked at Motorola Mobility, A Google Company and Abbott Labs as a member of the HR teams. She spent 5 years working in Talent Acquisition as a part of the recruitment process, hiring top tier tech talent. After volunteering for two years with Citizen Schools, Jen grew deeply passionate about working with underserved communities in Chicago and raising young women to be future change makers.