March 8 is International Women’s Day, and one after-school program in Brooklyn is taking the day to empower young girls in the community.

GLAM Squad is a program that aims to mentor girls about finance, business and entrepreneurship. They held a ‘Shark Tank Gala’ on Friday where participants pitched business ideas to a panel, putting their business skills to the test.

“Truth be told, born and raised in Brooklyn New York, I was a teacher for many years here but over the years, I never saw a program quite like GLAM Squad,” said founder Yvette Padilla. “GLAM stands for Girls Leadership and Mentorship Youth Enrichment Program. We teach our girls to be leaders and entrepreneurs as well."

The GLAM Squad’s Friday meeting started with affirmations for one another and introduced female motivational speakers who reminded the young girls that they can do anything they put their mind to.