Apefa Adjivon

Apefa Adjivon is a student completing a double major in International Relations and Peace, Conflict, and Justice. She is involved in several organizations on campus, including being Vice President of the UofT Trek for Teens club, Vice President of Finance for the Panhellenic Council, and a First Year Representative of the Pre-Law society. Recently, she served as a Youth Delegate at the Youth Assembly at the United Nations working towards SDG #5: Gender Equality. At the UN she was a winner of the Social Venture Challenge and was awarded a Resolution Project Fellowship for her social venture the Pearl Project; a center for girls in low income communities with the purpose of pairing girls with mentors and skill-based opportunities to help them achieve their goals 

Pearl Project

There is a gap in career and goal–focused programming for girls in low-income areas. While, many mentorship programs exist for girls, or career-focused mentorships for girls interested in areas like STEM, there is a lack of goal-orientated programs for all girls, no matter the field they may be interested in.

The Pearl Project is a center in Toronto’s Regent Park area that will provide after-school programming for girls in this low-income community. Using a space provided by the local government, the Pearl Project will provide girls with access to mentors and career counsellors, with the goal of inspiring and empowering girls and helping them to reach their goals. This social enterprise will address SDG  #5 - Gender Equality, and SDG #10 - Reducing Inequalities.