About MBD: Girl Edition

Created for middle- and high-school girls, MBD: Girl Edition is a multi-faceted program designed to empower girls to hone their business acumen. In each component, girls learn what it takes to start, manage, and grow a business while developing critical-thinking and relationship-building skills. Alongside girls their own ages, with adult mentors to guide them, girls explore real-world business scenarios in a supportive environment. They learn how to be resourceful and resilient­—lifelong traits that will serve them well as business owners or in future careers.

HOLIDAY MARKETPLACE: In a marketplace setting, girls display and sell their products and services to event attendees. It's a great way for girls to learn the ins and outs of product packaging and presentation, and booth preparation. Judges award a cash prize to the girl-owned business with the all-around strongest presentation.

ENTREPRENEUR WORKSHOPS: Free optional workshops at the Chattanooga Public Library ensure girls have the skills to be successful at the Holiday Marketplace. These three unique sessions cover branding, booth display, seller psychology, and more.

24HOUR GENERATOR: Teams of girls are formed from public and private schools across the region. They are presented with a problem a local business is experiencing and with the help of a mentor, collaborate on ideas to solve it. They spend 24 hours developing and testing solutions before making a final pitch as a team to a panel of judges for a cash prize. It is an intense but life-changing experience as girls broaden their networks, gain new skills, and see what's possible!

CHATTANOOGA AS TEXT COURSE: In partnership with The Company Lab and The Public Education Foundation, MBD developed a three-week, interdisciplinary summer course for high-school girls called Chattanooga As Text or CAT. During this placemaking course, girls from a cross-section of public and private schools meet with government representatives, heads of local organizations, designers, and social entrepreneurs to better understand local problems and challenges. At the conclusion of the course, each team delivers a public prospectus for a problem they have observed to a panel of business and community leaders. Participants see long-range benefits as they expand their personal networks, learn about different perspectives, and gain a new set of lifelong skills.