Crittenton Empowers Teens With High Tea (Video)
“Talk with a teen,” was the theme of an event that brought working professionals together with local teens to help them find their way.
MyMCMedia’s Valerie Bonk has the story of how Crittenton is working to empower local teens through its programs.
It’s a chance to have their voices heard.
Local teens sat down for tea with mentors and role models from across the region during Crittenton’s annual event to talk about challenges they face and tips for their futures.
“This day is all about bringing the voices of teen girls with the community and having a conversation about what are the issues affecting teen girls in the greater Washington area and to have adults listen,” said Pamela Jones, president and CEO of Crittenton Services of Greater Washington. “It’s powerful.”
Crittenton works through its after-school programs to empower teens to make positive choices to stay in school, apply to college and avoid teen pregnancy.
“It helped me grow as a woman,” said Kimberly Ubadiniru, a student at John F. Kennedy High School. “It helped me advance and learn about myself and learn how to deal with hard choices in life.”
“It helped me to just stay true to myself and just be positive and like no matter what kind of stereotypes you hear or what challenges you face in life, you can always overcome those obstacles,” said Edinam Kumazah, a student at Gaithersburg High School.
Through grants awarded this year, Crittenton is doubling the number of teens they serve each year, as well as expanding into the CLarksburg area. Leaders and supporters at the tea say the the program brings hope to teen girls facing troubling times.
“As an elected official, I really believe that I have a great opportunity from the bully pulpit to support young women and Crittenton does a great job of that,” said Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Floreen. “These young ladies here are our future and they need to know that we’re here for them, that there’s great hope and opportunity for them.”
“My hope for this event is that for the girls this will encourage them to advocate further more for themselves,” said Erin Wheeler, a board member with Crittenton Services of Greater Washington. “I think the perception is that when you’re young you’re not too knowledgeable about stuff but that’s absolutely not true. They’re very knowledgeable and they need to share that with other people.”
Find more information about Crittenton through its website here.
Related:
Marie Henderson Tells Young Teens to 'Never Give Up' (Video)
Crittenton Services of Greater Washington held their annual high tea for teens in Silver Spring to connect local teens with working professionals. In this MyMCMedia Extra, Marie Henderson, Executive Director of the Community Foundation for Montgomery County and the keynote speaker of the tea and leadership conference, tells local teens to never give up on […]
Crittenton Empowers Teens With High Tea (Video)
“Talk with a teen,” was the theme of an event that brought working professionals together with local teens to help them find their way. MyMCMedia’s Valerie Bonk has the story of how Crittenton is working to empower local teens through its programs. It’s a chance to have their voices heard. Local teens sat down for […]
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