A Journey Home: Girls For A Change Heads to Ghana in 2026

In July 2026, 18 Girls For A Change (GFAC) participants will board a plane in Richmond, Virginia, and travel to Ghana. But this is not simply an international trip. It is a journey home.

Her Journey Home Ghana 2026 is a powerful leadership, cultural, and storytelling experience designed to deepen identity, confidence, and global awareness. Rooted in a year-long process of preparation, reflection, and cultural immersion, this experience invites Black girls to see themselves as leaders connected to a larger history and an even larger future.

Meet the Her Journey Home Girl Action Team

The participants traveling to Ghana are part of the Her Journey Home Girl Action Team; a year-long, culturally grounded program for 8th grade middle school and high school girls (9th–12th grade). Her Journey Home is rooted in the wisdom of the Sankofa bird: the belief that we must look back to move forward.

Leading up to the journey, this Girl Action Team will explore:

• Identity and heritage
• Resilience and leadership
• Global Black girlhood
• Creative storytelling
• Service and cultural immersion

The program culminates in a transformational 10-day journey to Ghana in 2026. With only 18 participants selected, the experience is intentionally intimate. Chaperones, alumnae, and a professional film crew will join the trip to document the brilliance, freedom, and boundless possibilities of Black girls traveling the world.

More Than a Trip

For the girls participating, this journey represents something deeply personal. An opportunity for to learn more about themselves, where they come from, and who they want to become. While in Ghana, participants will learn about the culture, history, and traditions, and grow as a leader alongside other girls.

For many, this will be their first time traveling outside of the United States. Their first time stepping foot on the African continent. Their first time experiencing a place that holds ancestral, historical, and cultural significance. They won’t just be visitors. They will be learners, observers, and leaders in formation.

Turning the Camera on Themselves

This experience is also about storytelling. While in Ghana, participants will document their journey, learning how to tell their own stories through film by turning the camera on themselves and their peers.

They will:

• Capture moments of cultural exchange
• Reflect on what identity and heritage mean to them
• Practice using their voices with confidence
• See themselves not just as subjects, but as storytellers

When they return home to Richmond, the work continues. Participants will learn how to edit their footage, add music, and complete a short film documenting their journey from RVA to Ghana and back home again.

On Friday, October 2, 2026, at the historic John Marshall Hotel in Richmond, each participant will debut her finished film at the Annual Black Girl Showcase. Donors, partners, families, and community members will be invited to witness the stories created from this journey.

A Community Investment

The total cost per participant is $6,500. This investment covers each participant’s core experience, including:

• International flight
• Lodging
• Breakfast
• Airport transfers
• Cultural tours and learning experiences
• Select meals during programming

This base cost ensures every participant has access to a safe, structured, and immersive international leadership experience.

Additional Costs to Consider

The following expenses are separate from the core program cost:

• Passport
• Visa
• Camera equipment for storytelling and documentation
• Facilitator support
• Pre-departure transportation

Together, these elements enable each participant to travel, learn, document, and grow through this transformational journey.

As Angela Patton, CEO of Girls For A Change, shared:

“We are asking our community to show up in a real way. This journey belongs to all of us. When we invest together through service, fundraising, and collective care, we tell our girls that their lives, voices, and futures matter.”

This campaign is rooted in community-centered fundraising. That means many people giving what they can. It means shared ownership and collective belief. Participants cannot do this alone. And they shouldn’t have to.

How You Can Help

We are calling on our community to step in and step up. You can:

• Make a direct donation
• Sponsor or co-sponsor a participant with a friend. Split the cost or fully fund one girl so she can travel without financial stress.
• Host a friendraiser and gather your circle for an evening of purpose and impact.
• Attend and support one of our scheduled friendraisers.
• Ask your faith-based or civic organization, sorority, fraternity, or community group to make a donation of any amount.
• Encourage small businesses and corporations to contribute as community sponsors.
• Share a participant’s crowdfunding page and support the story that speaks to you.
• Follow us and repost our fundraising initiatives to expand the reach.

Every dollar brings a girl closer to Ghana. Every contribution says: We believe in you.When our community invests in Black girls, transformation happens.