"Character development is all about knowing your strengths, knowing your weaknesses. It's about self-awareness and knowing what you have to work on," Trimuel said. "It's also about finding your purpose, and really understanding what you're passionate about."
The civic engagement program helps the girls identify areas in the modern workforce that they are passionate about. LOV offers them space and opportunity to use that burning desire to go out in their communities and implement the change they want to see. Before taking action, the girls discuss what it means to be a Black girl in Chicago and what issues affect them the most.
After discussing the matter in question, the conversation transitions into solutions, and girls must ask themselves how they can be the ones to initiate change. The participants are then paired in groups of three or four girls who have a similar passion. They then partner with community organizations already out there doing the work in their areas of interest.
The final step is for the girls to use what they were taught from that engagement and go out to present and spread awareness about those specific topics in their communities or schools. While the participants take part in those community projects for two to four months, they learn public speaking, project management, and collaboration skills that are important for the workplace.
The career readiness program, Power to the Professional, teaches the participants to build their resume, interview preparation, and what it means to be a Black woman in the workplace.
After building on those skills, the girls go through Dress for Success, a program that demonstrates to girls how to dress in a professional setting and goes beyond teaching young women how to dress according to the size and shape of their body.
"This year 91% of our girls aged 16 and over were employed. This is so important because research shows that when college graduates worked as teenagers, they make 10 to 15% more than those who did not,” Trimuel said. “So that's why we are always looking out for our girls to make sure that they are employed because we know that they're learning those skills that they'll need for when they enter the workplace."
LOV does not only focus on the professional aspect of their participants' lives but the emotional as well. Trimuel has a licensed clinical therapist who leads discussions in workshops to teach the students how to manage their emotions and provide training centered within self-reflection while going over various coping mechanisms.
Trimuel's proudest moments are when participants take what they've been taught from the experiences offered to them by her organization throughout high school and college and apply it to their futures.
"When I see how my girls are taking what we provided to them and literally running with it and just doing amazing things that makes me proud, "Trimuel said.
As an advocate, Trimuel hopes her organization influences the girls it serves to come back and be a mentor themselves.
"Don't forget about, you know, those who helped you to get to where you are," Trimuel said.
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Chicago native shares inspiration behind her mentorship program - The Real Chi
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