Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls

Through Dream, It Be It, Soroptimist clubs provide girls who with guidance, training and resources that will prepare them for career success. We intervene at just the right time to put girls on a path to a brighter future.

Although all girls face barriers because of their gender, we prioritize working with girls who have additional obstacles including poverty, unstable home lives, living in foster care, or teen motherhood. Soroptimist clubs work in partnership with girls in small groups or a conference setting to provide them with the information and resources they want and need to be successful.

By reaching girls while they are still young, we not only can help them stay healthy and safe in the short term, but we can reduce the number of women in crisis in the future. Putting them on a path will help them realize their dreams. Dream It, Be It gives girls the tools they need to achieve their education and career goals, empowering them to break cycles of poverty, violence, and abuse.

Soroptimist launched the Dream It, Be It curriculum in 2015. Since then, more than 20,000 girls around the world have participated. The program has had a highly positive impact on participants: 89% feel more confident about their future success 83% have new tools to overcome obstacles to their success 87% feel more prepared to pursue their career goals.

Dream It, Be It - Partnership with SI Ceres in 2022 and 2023

In both 2022 and 2023, Soroptimist International of Lodi partnered with SI Ceres in order to provide high school girls from our communities the opportunity to attend Dream It, Be It (DIBI).

In 2022, a hybrid program was offered with four Zoom meetings and one in-person session, which was held in Ceres on April 23.  All of the credit goes to the Ceres club for organizing DIBI in 2022.  Two SI Lodi members attended the Zoom sessions and our club helped to defray the costs of gift cards for participants and the food provided at the in-person meeting. 

In 2023, a one-day career conference was held on Monday, February 27 in Ceres. Two members of SI Lodi played an active role in organizing the conference and one participated the day of the event. The club donated items such as bags and notebooks left over from our prior DIBI events and also money to help with costs.

There were 93 student attendees at the conference!  It was purposely held on a school day since a meeting during school hours was strongly favored by the girls who responded to a pre-conference survey. Feedback after the conference was highly positive and the vast majority of the girls indicated they'd like to attend DIBI again in the future.

Here's the flyer for the conference:

Below is the agenda for the day.  We had engaging speakers, fun activities and 11 information tables that showcased different career options and local non-profits. Breakfast, snacks and lunch were provided during the course of the day. 

Photos from the event are posted in the below gallery. Hover over thumbnail photo for description, click photo once to open to full size.

Dream It, Be It - Zoom Career Conference - February 20, 2021

After holding a successful conference in September, 2018, Soroptimist International of Lodi had planned to hold another Dream It, Be It event on Saturday, April 25, 2020.  The conference was postponed due to COVID-19 and was rescheduled to a Zoom meeting on February 20, 2021.  Below are flyers for the conference in English and Spanish:

Here's the agenda for the Dream It, Be It conference:

In order to keep the participating girls engaged throughout the program, we planned a mixture of hands-on exercises, presentations, and physical activities. We prepared conference bags for each of the girls which included the agenda, materials needed for hands-on activities, snacks, giveaways, and presentation handouts. During the course of the conference, the girls had the opportunity to explore potential careers and learn how to set achievable goals. They gained an understanding of how to rise above obstacles and turn failures into success. They learned a lot and had fun in the process!

We’d like to thank all those who made this event possible:
Presenters
Soroptimist Members
Local partners who helped provide “goodies” for conference bags: American AgCredit, Blue
Ribbon Personnel, Grace & Mercy Charitable Foundation, Lodi Chamber of Commerce,
Premier Staffing, State Farm, Watermark Labels

Below are a few photos related to the event. Hover over thumbnail photo for description, click photo once to open to full size.

Dream It, Be It - SI Manteca- March 2, 2019

On March 2, three members of SI Lodi participated in the Dream It Be It event organized by SI Manteca. Girls from 6th - 12th grade attended the program.  They heard from four inspirational speakers and were encouraged both to dream and to work hard to achieve their goals.  They participated in exercises intended to help them determine what they'd like their future to be, including making a "glass slipper" reflecting themselves and their aspirations.

Below: Germaine, Laura and Liz in the photo booth, a fun highlight of the event

Dream It, Be It - SI Lodi - September 29, 2018

Soroptimist International of Lodi held its first annual Dream It, Be It event at St. Paul's Lutheran Church on September 29, 2018.

Curriculum topics included exploring career opportunities; setting and achieving goals; overcoming obstacles to success; moving forward after setbacks or failures.

The program faculty consisted of local Soroptimists Dr. Elizabeth Kass and Dr. Germaine Burke and the following invited speakers: Dominee Muller-Kimball, Lodi Unified Principal; Erin Summ, Certified Professional Coach; Pastor Amy Miranda, Chaplain, Lodi Police Department; Ashlee Prudhel, Realtor. Activities to help reduce stress were led by Gladys Bates, Jill Lipka and Erin Summ.

After the conclusion of the event, SI Lodi President Terri Lee commented, “All the speakers were very impressed by the response that they received from the girls. I hope that we gave participants new ideas about achieving their dreams and that they will attend again next year along with other students.”

Soroptimist International of Lodi would like to thank the following generous local sponsors that helped make this event possible: • St. Paul’s Lutheran Church • Safeway Stores • Save Mart Supermarkets • Panera Bread, Lodi • Grace & Mercy Charitable Foundation • Corner Scone Bakery • Starbucks, Ham & Lockeford, Lodi • Bella Festa Event Planning & Rentals • Subway Walmart Center • Kim Ishii • RDs for Health Care • Balloons Unlimited • Lodi Chamber of Commerce, ABCD Program.