Ages 15-17
Thrive is part of our strategic plan and will launch by 2030.
Thrive is a powerful program-in-development at The Collective Identity for Black girls ages 15–17, a crucial period where choices, identity, and self-worth begin shaping the path to adulthood. This is often the age when harmful societal messages, adultification bias, and systemic inequities collide with academic pressures and social expectations.
Thrive will equip participants to envision a bold, self-directed future by helping them unpack damaging stereotypes, explore college and career possibilities, and set a 10-year vision for their lives. Through mentorship, skill-building workshops, and open dialogue, girls will gain the tools to navigate the pressures of this stage while defining success on their own terms.
Thrive’s purpose is simple yet powerful: to help Black girls stop merely surviving and start building a life they can truly thrive in.
Thriving Starts Here
The world often treats Black girls as if they are problems to be managed instead of young people to be nurtured. By this age, too many have already experienced the sting of bias, discipline that's harsher than their peers, or the feeling of being punished simply for showing up as themselves, whether that's wearing their natural hair or speaking their mind. The numbers tell the story: Black girls are six times more likely to be suspended and three times more likely to be physically restrained by school police.
Thrive is a powerful program in development for Black girls ages 15 to 17, a critical stage where identity, friendships, and self-worth take shape alongside major life decisions. At this age, many are trying to manage friendships with other girls, and part of our mission is to help them develop healthy, uplifting, and supportive relationships with their peers.
Also, at this age, Black girls are also learning to navigate a community dynamic that often teaches them to put the needs of Black boys and men before their own, sometimes at the cost of their safety, self-worth, and future. This mentality can plant the seeds of self-sacrifice so profound that abuse, whether physical, emotional, or sexual, becomes normalized.
Thrive is where we interrupt that cycle
This program helps Black girls reclaim their narrative, name the biases they face, and understand how adultification bias, criminalization, and the "strong Black woman" stereotype operate both inside and outside our community. Thrive challenges these harmful scripts and replaces them with tools for self-definition, self-protection, and self-love.
Participants begin creating a ten-year vision for their lives, imagining who they want to be, what they want to achieve, and how they want to feel in every facet of life. Together, we explore career and college pathways, leadership skills, relationships, friendships, and mental health practices. Every step moves them from survival to thriving, shifting from simply getting through the day to actively shaping a future filled with purpose, power, and joy.
