Recognizing the challenges that girls of African descent face with issues of cultural displacement and positive cultural identification, Niambi Jaha-Echols was inspired in 2002 to write and self-publish a book entitled: “Project Butterfly: Supporting Young Women and Girls of African Descent through the Transitions of Life”. The book supports and encourages young women and girls through the changes and challenges of life using the life cycle of a butterfly as a wonderful model of transition. The book was recently re-published in 2008 and then again in 2013 to include a companion workbook.
In 2004, Niambi founded Camp Butterfly, a national non-profit organization headquartered in Chicago and a sister after school program, Project Butterfly (named after the book). |
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Project Butterfly and Camp Butterfly (now The Butterfly Movement) continue to have a positive impact on the lives of African American females, by eradicating some of the risks that confront them. Both Camp Butterfly/The Butterfly Movement and Project Butterfly encourage girls and wombyn to cultivate positive self-images while learning to become better stewards of themselves as well as the environment. They were designed to empower and encourage women and girls to increase their self esteem, positive cultural and feminine identity, to dream and set goals, increase their sense of community, while preparing them to advocate change.
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Since their inception, Camp Butterfly and Project Butterfly have served thousands of girls from across the country. Wombyn have joined us as volunteers from Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, California, Michigan, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Georgia, Wisconsin, Belize, Jamaica and Ghana West Africa. Wombyn have also volunteered with our organization who are first generation from the following countries: Haiti, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
There has also been considerable media interest in camp - with articles appearing on The Oprah Angel Network website, in Essence and Ebony Magazines, MSN.com, The Milwaukee Community Journal and The Chicago Tribune. The camp has been featured on Fox News Chicago, ABC7 Chicago, Fox News Milwaukee, National Public Radio and various local cable television shows in Illinois.
There has also been considerable media interest in camp - with articles appearing on The Oprah Angel Network website, in Essence and Ebony Magazines, MSN.com, The Milwaukee Community Journal and The Chicago Tribune. The camp has been featured on Fox News Chicago, ABC7 Chicago, Fox News Milwaukee, National Public Radio and various local cable television shows in Illinois.
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