Helping girls discover their power: Elaine Hamel at TEDxAmoskeagMillyard

Contractor turned champion Elaine Hamel shares her dream of changing girls' lives. With power tools and love, her charity, Girls at Work, helps at-risk girls recognize their potential and realize that they are all great, powerful and smart. Elaine reminds us that girls just need a chance to discover how powerful they are.

Hamel is the executive director of Girls at Work, Inc., a nonprofit organization that empowers at-risk girls to discover their inner power tools of strength and courage through building. She founded Girls at Work, Inc., in 2000 after nearly 13 years in the construction industry as founder of EMH Remodeling, specializing in residential renovations.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)