Economic Empowerment at Own Your Ase
At Own Your Ase (OYA), economic empowerment is a pathway to sovereignty, sustainability, and self-determination. We equip girls and women with the knowledge, skills, and lived practice needed to build wealth, support their communities, and move with confidence in both local and global economies.
Through our partnership with Queens Society, we deliver financial literacy education focused on budgeting, money management, and informed financial decision-making. In collaboration with The Women’s Institute for Social and Economic Development, we provide estate planning and wealth-building education, ensuring that women understand how to protect, grow, and pass on assets across generations. Our work also centers women’s business development and global entrepreneurship, preparing participants to think expansively and build beyond limitation.
This is a space where girls and women gain practical skills while cultivating a wealth mindset rooted in community care and economic justice. Participants are trained to budget, reinvest locally, build cooperatively, and activate sustainable practices through classes, workshops, and retreats.
Economic learning comes to life through the Iya Loja Marketplace, a seasonal community exchange where women and girls sell products, barter services, and support one another within a collective economy. We also provide hands-on business development through partnerships with Kizee Fresh and Ankh Life Products, where girls learn production skills, create market-ready goods, and earn income in the process.
Our OYA Artisans Program extends this work globally, creating pathways for girls and women to co-learn with artisans in Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and surrounding West African countries—fostering cultural exchange, global entrepreneurship, and ethical trade.
Through education, practice, and collective opportunity, Own Your Ase advances economic empowerment by training girls and women to build, circulate, and sustain wealth with purpose. Are you interested in joining us on this economic empowerment journey contact Kara Parker @ OYAoutreach@gmail.com
The Nurture Network: Baltimore
The Nurture Network: Baltimore addresses the systemic instability and high closure rates of women-led childcare businesses in low-income communities. We solve this by providing a dual-pillar consulting model that bridges the gap between childcare and commerce: we coach providers on operational development while simultaneously training staff in Conscious Discipline and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). This approach reduces teacher burnout, enhances parent-teacher engagement, and empowers educators to transition from survival mode to sustainable business growth. By stabilizing these centers, we secure the essential infrastructure that allows Baltimore's workforce and families to thrive. Children are safe, empowered, and thrive in spaces where educators feel seen, heard, and supported.
Big Ideas,
Real Impact.
Founder Spotlight
LaShone Croom, Founder of Own Your Ase, is a Bunting Neighborhood Leadership Fellow with the Urban Health Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where she has helped build and strengthen partnerships with over 30 community organizations in service of neighborhood-led health equity and empowerment.
