Lighting the Spark: SheLectricity Is Helping Memphis Girls Discover the Entrepreneur Within
In classrooms across Memphis, a quiet but powerful transformation is beginning. Inside Freedom Prep Academy, a group of middle school girls gather each week to talk, imagine, build ideas, and discover something many of them have never been told before: they already have what it takes to create something of their own.
The space is called SheLectricity, an innovative entrepreneurship program powered by The Big We, designed to help girls develop confidence, creativity, and leadership during one of the most formative periods of their lives.
Currently piloted at Freedom Prep, SheLectricity is working with middle school-grade, with the vision of following them through middle school, high school, and eventually into young adulthood as they develop real entrepreneurial ideas, mentorship relationships, and leadership skills.
At the center of the program is a simple but powerful belief: entrepreneurship does not start with a business plan. It starts with self-awareness and confidence.
“SheLectricity is all about empowering and educating middle school girls on what's already in them,” said Sameka Johnson, Director of Programs at The Big We and the educator leading the weekly sessions. “They already have creativity inside of them. We're just helping them spark it so they can create or launch their own ideas.”
A Different Kind of Entrepreneurship Program
What makes SheLectricity stand out is its approach. Rather than jumping straight into business mechanics, the program begins with identity, confidence, and imagination. Students explore themes like self-love, community care, and social responsibility before moving into traditional entrepreneurial skills.
From there, the curriculum gradually introduces real-world business concepts such as:
Developing business ideas based on community needs
Understanding customers and markets
Building a brand identity and mission
Creating prototypes
Learning financial literacy and pricing strategies
Developing marketing plans
Practicing leadership and teamwork
Pitching business ideas publicly
Over the course of twelve weeks, students move from personal reflection to real business development, ultimately learning how to present their ideas with confidence. The program blends entrepreneurship with social awareness, encouraging girls to see their creativity not only as a personal strength but as a tool for improving their communities.
Sameka Johnson leading FreedomPrep students during a SheLectricity session.
Discovering the Creativity They Already Have
For Johnson, one of the most powerful moments in the program is helping students recognize that they are already innovators.
During one session, students were asked to share a problem they encountered during Memphis’ recent snowstorm. One student described how she wanted hot wings but didn’t have ranch dressing. Instead of giving up, she simply made her own. Another created a makeshift slide from the ice outside her home. Another melted ice to clear a walking path.
“They didn’t even realize they were being creative,” Johnson said. “They were solving problems, creating solutions, and thinking through ideas. When you point that out to them, you see their confidence start to grow.”
Moments like these are at the heart of SheLectricity’s mission. The goal is not simply to teach girls about entrepreneurship. It is to help them see themselves as people capable of creating something new.
Creating Space During a Critical Age
Middle school is often a transitional and vulnerable time for young girls. Confidence shifts, peer pressure grows, and many begin to question their place in the world. Johnson believes that is exactly why this work matters.
“Young girls have so much creativity underneath the surface,” she said. “We want them to know they have a seat at the table when it comes to entrepreneurship and business. They have a place in their community to create something.”
The early response has been encouraging. Since the pilot launched earlier this year, the same group of students has continued showing up week after week.
“They don’t have to come back,” Johnson said. “But they do. And that says a lot about the space we’re creating together.”
FreedomPrep students participating in a SheLectricity activity.
A Vision That Extends Far Beyond One Classroom
While the current pilot is based at Freedom Prep, the vision for SheLectricity is much larger. The Big We hopes to expand the program to additional schools across Memphis and eventually build a network of young entrepreneurs who grow through the program together.
In the future, older students who have participated in SheLectricity could return as mentors, ambassadors, and leaders for younger girls entering the program. The goal is to build not just businesses, but a generational ecosystem of confident young creators and entrepreneurs.
“One spark can create a big fire,” Johnson said. “And that fire can light up a community.”
Continuing the Work of Community Transformation
SheLectricity is part of the broader work of The Big We, a Memphis-based cultural strategy organization that powers programming connected to Historic Clayborn Temple, one of the most important sites of the Civil Rights Movement. Even as Clayborn Temple continues its restoration following the devastating 2025 fire, The Big We remains committed to delivering programs that invest directly in Memphis residents and the city’s future.
Programs like SheLectricity demonstrate that the work of Clayborn Temple is not only about preserving history. It is also about building the next generation of leaders who will shape Memphis in the years ahead. And in classrooms across the city, that future may already be taking shape.
One idea, one story, and one young entrepreneur at a time.
SheLectricity is a social entrepreneurship program powered by The Big We. To discuss SheLectricity with a team member, email Sameka Johnson by clicking here. To donate to Clayborn Temple’s programming like SheLectricity and COIN (Co-op Opportunity for Inclusive Neighborhoods), click here. Stay up-to-date on The Big We and Historic Clayborn Temple by clicking here.