Girl Boss

Alexia founded GirlBoss New Zealand in late 2015 as a result of her own experiences as a teenager growing up in Auckland as the only female student of Advanced Physics and Digital Technologies classes. She started GirlBoss because she knew something had to change. The mission of GirlBoss is to inspire, empower and equip New Zealand's young women to develop their STEAM, leadership and entrepreneurial skills in order to become the change-makers of the future. GirlBoss is now a network of 13,500 high school-aged members with programmes implemented in over 100 schools across New Zealand, Australia, and The Cook Islands.

GirlBoss workshops provide a transformative experience. GirlBoss LEAD is an interactive series held in schools to inspire attendees to become strong, confident, and creative leaders. The “Changemakeher” workshops demonstrate why STEAM remains male-dominated and equips young women with STEAM capabilities. Finally, the “GirlBoss: Level Up” initiative helps young women to kick start their careers with access to internships from prestigious multinational organisations. With GirlBoss Advantage, GirlBoss brings high school-aged young women into the workplace for a 5-day rapid-fire corporate internship. Sponsor companies make a contribution to the talent pipeline whilst building authentic brand loyalty. They have also created New Zealand's most comprehensive online career accelerator with GirlBoss Edge, and 1,200 young women and 600 corporate mentors have participated to date. Finally, GirlBoss Awards recognise and award cash grants to trailblazing young women aged 11 - 18 from across Aotearoa. They have up to 9 winners each year in categories such as STEAM, Community, Enterprise and Arts & Culture.

Their members are united by their passion to use 21st-century skills to solve problems in their day-to-day lives and make a positive impact on the world. Through this project, GirlBoss continues to build a future where the next generation of girls and boys will have choices, purpose and power.