Brooke Bennett, co-founder of Women in Training, Inc., joined fifteen teams of visionary teens gathered at T-Mobile’s headquarters in Bellevue, Wash. for the Changemaker Challenge Lab, a nationwide contest by T-Mobile, the T-Mobile Foundation, and partner Ashoka to mobilize youth between ages of 13 and 18 who have bold ideas to create positive change in their communities.
“At T-Mobile, we’re passionate about empowering the next generation to blaze new trails and that’s why nothing excites me more than giving these amazing young teams even more support through Changemaker Challenge to continue driving and innovating solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues,” said Janice V. Kapner, T-Mobile’s Chief Communications and Brand Officer. “We were all so incredibly inspired by the pitches we heard at the Changemaker Challenge Lab. I know their future is bright, and can’t wait to see what all these teams will accomplish in years to come!”
Brooke, age 14, said about the experience: “The best part about the experience at the T-Mobile headquarters was bonding with other young people with brilliant ideas who are taking action -- now -- to make the world a better place.”
Brooke and her twin sister, Breanna, won for their End Poverty. PERIOD! Project. “Brooke and I have been working together to end period poverty; however, we now realize the issue is bigger than not having menstrual products and education,” Breanna said. “The real issue is solving the overall issue of poverty that many young women and other menstruators experience.”
To that end, Breanna said Women in Training, Inc. has created the WIT Leadership Development Circle and other programs to facilitate formal and experiential learning opportunities to cultivate young women into culturally competent and compassionate global leaders who care about themselves and the world around them.
“WIT has recruited professionals to provide training in a wide range of areas, including financial literacy, STEM education and leadership qualities like empathy, resilience and personality,” Brooke said.