MBD: Girl Edition Returns to GPS with 24Hour Generator

Where do Chattanooga-area businesses go to find creative solutions to problems? Next month area organizations will call on more than 50 mighty, brilliant, and determined seventh- and eighth-grade girls! Girls with a knack for looking at a problem and coming up with a creative solution were encouraged to apply for the MBD: Girl Edition 24Hour Generator; the event, March 15-16, is open to public/private school students as well as those homeschooled.

Held on the campus of Girls Preparatory School, the 24Hour Generator is created in partnership with Co.Lab and Public Education Foundation. The middle school girls will be placed on teams and then presented with real-world challenges facing local businesses or nonprofit organizations.

Along with the help of adult mentors and facilitators, the teams will then spend the next 24 hours on the campus of GPS, learning how to approach the problem, devising a solution, creating a pitch, and then presenting their ideas to a panel of judges. The winning teams will take home prizes.

As a component of MBD: Girl Edition, which also included the successful Girls Holiday Marketplace in December 2018, the 24Hour Generator offers a unique opportunity for girls in our area. Participants learn valuable skills such as teamwork, negotiation, the ability to compromise, and deductive reasoning—all while being supported by experienced adults who care. The result is an intense but life-changing experience as girls broaden their networks, gain new skills, and see what’s possible!

Thanks to generous community sponsors, including Coca-Cola Bottling Co., SunTrust, and Pinnacle Bank along with Society of Work and Women Repair Zone, the event is free to each girl. While on campus, participants’ meals and materials are also provided with Dish T’Pass, Il Primo, Maple Street Biscuit Co., Northshore Pediatric Dentistry, and Wonderpress donating products.

Learn more at MBDGirl.com.

ABOUT MBD: GIRL EDITION: The MBD: Girl Edition program is specially designed to encourage girls to become bold entrepreneurs—#girlpreneurs—and be mighty, brilliant, and determined. Girls gain the skills, confidence, and connections to jumpstart their business or social venture ideas. They connect with other girls who think big and gain inspiration from mentors to help make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality. They learn how to be resourceful and resilient­—lifelong traits that will serve them well as business owners or in future careers.