On Sunday Oct. 30, in Stone Mountain,Ga over 100 young women from all walks of life spent a fun filled and informative weekend at Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort. When I was younger, I didn’t have a mentor and I always wondered  what would have been different in my life if I had that guiding hand. I spoke with several girls from the program and they made it clear that they were glad they were there.

Over the pre-Halloween weekend teen girls spent time getting inspired, motivated and empowered by heavy weights in the business, such as Soledad O’Brien, Constance White, Lisa Price, Mikki Taylor, Teresa Edwards, Keisha Knight Pulliam and more.

Socialite and philanthropist Marjorie Harvey and her team of female leaders provided real world applications for the girls as they spoke with them about staying in school, goals for the future, teen pregnancy, fitness, the body as a temple, self worth, healthy living, and inner strength.

A representative from one of the event’s sponsors Delta Airlines, said that Delta understands and is always looking for ways to give back to the community, saying the airline giant was happy to support the event.

Participants explained that either they or a family member heard about the event online or from the Steve Harvey radio show and they quickly sent in the required essay. Over 100 metro Atlanta teens were selected from the application process. Mrs.Harvey explained that she established the program because “it takes a village to raise child, and right now the village is in trouble!” Harvey later said that, “girls can rule the world, they hold the power!”

Every day the girls learned something new. The panels included Strong 4 Life, You Can Be Me, and Networking Your way to the Top. The girls also enjoyed team building exercises, lively discussions, etiquette class with Chloe Taylor Brown, a mountain hike and walk through Stone Mountain with Harvey, and a performance by Atlanta Ballet.

The closing ceremony included Marjorie Harvey receiving the Phoenix Award from the City of Atlanta,  and remarks from Steve Harvey in which he told the young participants, “You’re sitting on a gold mine.”  Harvey always hilarious framed his talk in such a way that the girls really got it. He said, although men make at attribution about women,  they  don’t realize how important that statement is. Harvey said, “men will treat you like you expect us to.” He then went on to say that men like to hunt, it is in their D.N.A. and that no man wants something they can get so easily. “Have men you’re dating open doors for you and if he doesn’t understand teach him. Always have high standards. Be the queen you are. He also called out his sons in the audience and said they would be dead if they didn’t make sure their sisters got in the car first.

The keynote speaker was Mikki Taylor, editor-at-large from Essence magazine. She talked about the 5 Pearls of Wisdom:

1. Know Your Value

2.Be on Purpose

3.Dont let negativity get in your way.

4.Take your q’s from the right source.

5.Build your spiritual muscle

The Pearls of Wisdom ceremony then took place with all the girls receiving a Girls Rule The World certificate and a pearl necklace and dinner with their family. It was a fabulous event.

Photos by Raymond Hagans