ABOUT US
OUR STORY
WHERE EVERY GIRL BELONGS
BEE Club Inc. began with the story of Akilah Blount, a senior student who created a space for girls from all backgrounds and experiences to advocate for themselves without fear of shame or judgment after not being accepted into a girls’ organization at Westlake High School in Atlanta. In 2013, Akilah led the BEE Club’s first meeting, welcoming 100 girls to a world of possibilities in which sisterhood, community, inclusivity, and collective leadership took precedence.
In the past 10 years, BEE Club Inc. has flourished into a Black woman-founded and primarily led non-profit, where over 400 girls have voiced their experiences, advocated for communal causes, and organized for transformative change. Today, we continue to serve girls in Southwest Atlanta and are a growing initiative to offer girls' leadership development programs for teen girls in the state of Georgia. We implemented our programs to reach girls at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, GA, from 2019 until 2024 and are a growing statewide initiative to implement girls' leadership
OUR WHY
PROMOTING EQUITY IN SCHOOLS
Beginning in the classroom, girls receive gender-related messages that may limit their belief in their abilities, overall confidence, and confidence as leaders (Texas State University 2019). Black girls face unique barriers in schools, including lack of support in academic enrichment courses, subjection to stereotypes, and over-disciplinary practices that can collectively lead to higher dropout rates and the likelihood of incarceration (American School Counselor Association 2017).
Girls’ leadership development, including mentoring and community and school support, is a proven way to address gender and race inequities in schools and promote systemic change for all female students. Within our HIVE School Leadership Model, teen girls work alongside school counselors and school social workers, serving as peer leaders who organize and engage in meaningful, self-directed activities to further develop their skills as leaders and inspire female leaders of the future.
GET TO KNOW OUR FOUNDER
It wasn’t long before I realized the BEE Club was necessary for so many girls who looked like me and came from similar backgrounds and communities. I knew that the BEE Club would be a special place for girls across Atlanta, the state of Georgia, the U.S., and someday, the world.
—Akilah Blount
Akilah Blount
