YOUTH EMPOWERMENT WEEKEND

On Saturday, April 12th, 2025, “The Day of Motivation” successfully brought young people together for a powerful celebration of identity, inspiration, and exposure.  The event made sure that young people left feeling inspired, providing them with actionable tips to prepare for their post-secondary or post-college journey. Youth who attended the weekend event at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) benefitted from résumé and cover lettter reviews, mock interviews, tips on marketing strategies, workshops on mindfulness and self-expression, and much more.

The agenda included a variety of engaging workshops and events for young people such as: 

• “Dress to Win: Styling for Success”
• “Secure the Bag: Own the Interview”
• “Brand you: Crafting Your story”
• “Stress Less, Achieve More: Managing Time & Pressure”

Professionals from various industries volunteered their time and resources to make the day special for the teens and young adults who came out on a Saturday for the event.

Dress to Win: Styling for Success workshop

A fan favorite workshop was Dress to Win: Styling for Success co-facilitated by Maya Shelton of Well Cloth’d and stylist Carmen Davis. What made this workshop truly impactful was giving young individuals the space and freedom to expand their minds to dressing confidently for professional settings outside of school obligations. 

Every young person who attended the workshop was able to walk away with professional clothing. The workshop helped young people explore how fashion can be a compelling way to embellish confidence within oneself. Students can be seen having a great time developing their own professional style. With their newly created professional wardrobe, we have faith that they are ready to walk into any interview room with suave and style!

Photographer Rey Osoria provided headshots for youth participants and workshop facilitators

The Day of Motivation also highlighted the importance of mentorship. While connecting with peers their own age was valuable, networking with the professionals in the room also proved to be extremely beneficial. With mentors present, a lovely exchange of ideas took flight— discourse about the future and how to navigate the hurdles on the path to success was the main focus between the professionals and the young adults in the room. 

Providing students with such an experience helps reshape any stigma they may have held about the adult world, with high hopes that it reinforces into something more positive that lasts beyond this weekend. 

Overall, this weekend and particularly the Day of Motivation was about equipping our young people with the resources they may lack due to age, social, and/or economic limitations. We successfully accomplished this by offering them an authentic perspective into the adult world— one that isn’t just stressful and exhausting, but rewarding and full of wholesome moments that you create. 

Time and time again, preparing our youth for the future remains a vital mission. Due to the engaging and fun nature of our workshops, young people were able to experience joy in building themselves into the professionals they want to be. Taking weekends like this to empower the youth gives them a stronger foundation to pursue even greater goals in their adulthood— and that makes all the difference!

Youth Empowerment Weekend Recap Video

Thank you to our Sponsors