About a dozen primary and high-school-aged students spent part of their weekend exploring what the future may hold for them. The Empower U Youth Summit invited them to imagine, learn and equip themselves with the tools and skills they need to succeed in their academic, personal, and professional lives.
Those who filled the seats at the University of the Virgin Islands Community Resource and Development Center on St. John were attentive and engaged throughout the Saturday morning session. They made their way through a brainstorming exercise to share subjects they wanted to learn more about. They heard a panel discussion featuring a small-business owner, a college sports coach and an educator telling stories about their formative years.
Theirs were stories of navigating the ups and downs of life. Coach Stephanie Cooper said her pregnancy as a youth disqualified her from playing college sports — something that she loved and looked forward to. But she decided to go to college anyway and sought a school that would allow her to bring her child along; Cooper said she also redirected her love of sports from playing to coaching.
“That was something that turned my life around,” she said.
Panelist Kesi Gordon said she was a college dropout when a life-changing event — the murder of a loved one — made her rethink where her life was heading.
Chef and caterer Shaibu Abdulai told a story of how an immigration lottery led him to leave his native Ghana for the United States — something he never thought of as he grew up in his native land. He told the students how he started his grab-and-go food business by frying plantain chips and selling them door-to-door and in a straw basket on the street.
They also heard from Human Services Administrator Cira Burke as she told a personal story about repeated attempts to overcome failure. Those attempts, she said, led to her graduating with top honors from UVI at the age of 33.
Youth Empowerment Services Founder Whitney George said workshops had already been held on St. Croix and St. Thomas by the time the St. John session took place Saturday. The first workshop took place March 1 at the 13D Research and Innovation Center on the UVI Orville Kean Campus.
George explained that the purpose of the program was to support young participants as they explored their possibilities. “It was a little bit smaller, however we were one-on-one intimate with the youth to navigate what they expect for St. John,” she said.
The workshop ended with a poetry exercise where each student had a chance to describe themselves using the everyday sights and sounds that fill their world.
UVI-CELL Director Suzanne Darrow-Magras sat at the back of the room, observing. Magras appeared at the center’s grand opening on Feb. 10. Since then, she said she liked seeing the level of activity taking place within the space. “We had the free bartending class and had a real estate appraisal class.”
Small Business counselor Celia Kalousek added that since the center opened, two students have also signed up for high school equivalency classes.
