Latina Girl Empowerment Nonprofit is On Trend with the ‘Year of the Entrepreneur’ Virtual Conference on Oct. 23

AUSTIN, TX — (LATINX NEWSWIRE) — Experiencing increasing conflicts from managing work, family, and the overwhelming economic and health impact of COVID-19, 863,000 women dropped out of the workforce in September 2020, compared to 168,000 men but at the same time, applications for starting a business jumped by a 95% increase (Forbes). It is clearly the “Year of the Entrepreneur,” the year of turning your side hustle into a full-time gig.

For 10+ years Austin-based nonprofit Latinitas has been cultivating this same spirit with young, emerging entrepreneurs ages 9-14 with the city’s largest gathering of girls/girl-identifying and binary students of color creating a business together: Latinitas Startup Chica Conference happening, virtually on Oct. 23, 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. Any girl/girl-identifying or non-binary student (9-14) from anywhere are welcome to this one-day virtual experience.

This iteration of Latinitas Startup Chica Conference (it’s 12th!) walks students through the process of starting a business from concept to pitch with the help of a culturally reflective and relevant curriculum, mentors, and coaches from all aspects of business development. The U.S Latino population accounted for nearly 80% of all new businesses created in the last decade. (2020 Census). The Startup Chica Conference provides a space to empower young entrepreneurs in their goal of creating a business in any sector.

This year’s keynote is Amanda Zamora, journalist and founder of The 19th, an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender politics and policy. Co-founder and publisher, she spent nearly two decades as a digital editor, product manager, and audience strategist at newsrooms including the Texas Tribune, ProPublica, and The Washington Post. At a time when newsroom budgets across the United States are shrinking, The 19th is investing in journalism that empowers women, women of color, and the LGBTQ+ community.

Austin’s only bilingual STEAM nonprofit since 2002, Latinitas has been working with young girls/girl-identifying and non-binary students of color to combat stereotypes in media and technology not only based on gender, but also in culture. Event sponsors, all focused on building female leadership in their companies, including eBay, the Barbie Dream Gap Project, Applied Materials’ Generation Girl campaign, and the Atlassian Foundation.

“Austin’s youth are natural entrepreneurs, youth of color maybe even more so. Many students who come to Latinitas Startup Chica Conferences are 1st generation Austinites or grew up watching their parents navigate less traditional pathways towards business ownership due to bias and racism. They are also motivated heavily by social change so their businesses are built to be sustainable but also speak to addressing the most important issues of the day.” explains Laura Donnelly, Latinitas CEO and Founder.

OPEN TO ALL GIRLS/GIRL IDENTIFYING AND NON-BINARY STUDENTS AGES 9-14:
Register to attend or volunteer at www.startupchica.com.

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