Dear National Champions Board Members, September 2018 is the NGCP's 16th birthday! In celebration, we are elevating the concept of positive micromessaging and considering alternatives to 'Sweet 16', for example: 'Smart 16' and 'Scholarly 16'. If you would like to learn more about micromessaging or have ideas to contribute, we encourage you to follow along or participate using the hashtags #AltSweet16 and #NGCPturns16. You can find more information about events we are hosting this month by visiting the NGCP 16th Birthday<http://ngcproject.org/national-girls-collaborative-project-16th-birthday> events page. Since it is back-to-school month, we are spreading the word about The Connectory as an excellent tool for finding quality, afterschool STEM programming. Attached you will find tailored talking points for The Connectory. Please help us spread this messaging by sharing via your social media accounts and newsletters. Finally, we hope you will be able to join us for our special in-person National Champions Board meeting happening on September 30, 2018 from 6:30pm-9:00pm in Hartford, Connecticut. We have invited several of our NGCP partners to provide information about the national work we are doing, and will look forward to learning from all of you as we discuss our successes and challenges. Dinner will be served. If you are able to join us, please register here: http://ngcproject.org/national-champions-board-meeting-and-dinner. Thank you for helping us get to 16 by championing this dynamic and ever-growing network! Erin Hogeboom Director of Strategic Partnerships Pronouns: she/her National Girls Collaborative Project<https://ngcproject.org/> | The Connectory<https://theconnectory.org/> | FabFems<https://fabfems.org/>