Black-owned beauty brand CURLS took 26 influencers from the beauty industry to the Dominican Republic with one mission; to impact change in the local and global community through the CURLS Girls Rule the World initiative. In partnership with the Soy Nina, Soy Importante Girls Camp (@Snsicamp), CURLS influencers from around the world served as mentors to 75 camp attendees. The day was designed to walk the girls through the process of re-writing their story, with an activity led my CURLS CEO and Founder Mahisha Dellinger, who shared her personal journey from poverty, abuse, and disadvantage, to a life of success for herself, her family and her CURLS Empire.
RELATED: 5 Reasons You Should Volunteer Abroad
The day ended with the mentors helping the young girls design their life, so they too could have a successful future. The one-day-only event was filled with empowerment and a chance to make real impact on this side of the world, and through the power of social media, the impact will be felt across the world.
Throughout the #CURLSintheDR Trip, CURLS worked with more than 35 local vendors to support the community initiatives and invest in the economy. The influencers also had a meet and greet at the first ever natural hair salon in the Dominican Republic called Ms. Rizos Salon in Santo Domingo.
At Ms. Rizos Salon, they met up with over 50 local Dominican beauty influencers for a gathering of women endorsing each other and empowering one another through global networking. No language barrier could block the spirit of love this group of women embodied.
In 2015, CURLS launched its first CURLS Girls Rule the World event in New York, NY. The signature program which was dedicated to empowering female entrepreneurship, kicked-off a national campaign in celebration of Black History Month. The introductory event hosted more than 100 girls of color from New York City and Westchester County, New York between the ages of 12 and 24, and its second event CURLS Girls Rule the World: Empowering Entrepreneurs Luncheon occurred on April 1, 2016 at Mist-Harlem in New York City. Subsequent events have occurred within the United States and abroad, including Dallas, Texas and Nassau, Bahamas.
To learn more about CURLS and the CURLS Girls Rule the World initiative, visit their website here.