Project Launch: 3-6-23

Tools & Tiaras Inc. is a Black woman-founded organization that serves girls (ages 6-14) from low to moderate household income families throughout NYC. Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, Judaline Cassidy, is a first-generation immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago. She has been working in and building NYC since coming to the United States over 30 years ago, is a union plumber with NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority), and is a respected tradeswoman activist. She’s devoted her 25+ year career to being a champion of racial, gender and economic equity.

Inspired by Judaline’s lived experience - from an economically insecure childhood to building career success and economic independence as a tradeswoman - Tools & Tiaras’ programming is designed to show girls, during their formative years, that Jobs Don’t Have Genders™. The organization does this through their signature fun-meets-education, hands-on construction trades-based workshops and summer camps. All programming is taught by tradeswomen and construction industry leaders, and is designed to expose girls to largely unseen/“nontraditional” workforce options and career pathways (i.e. plumbing, electrical, carpentry, welding, automotive, engineering, sheet metal, architecture, and more). 

T&T shatters stereotypes by changing the perception of "women's work”, and helps girls realize just how capable they are by putting real tools - drills, torches, wrenches - directly into their hands.  With support from World Connect, Tools & Tiaras will increase their organization’s capacity to meet the ever-growing demand for their pioneering programming by expanding their Building Educational Bridges program which brings their workshops to NYC public and charter schools, as well as youth-serving organizations.