Christian conference aims to empower, connect young women with mentors
May 21—This story has been updated to correct the date of conference.
Tia Awodeha, a local entrepreneur and school administrator, is hosting a conference for young women which aims to send them a key message: "You are more than just a pretty face."
The "More Than Pretty" conference will be held at New Life Church of Faith at 1419 N. Bowman Ave. on June 8th from noon to 3 p.m. It is a free community event for girls between 10 and 18 years of age.
According to the Facebook event page, the conference is "tailored especially for girls to be INSPIRED, to BE SEEN, and to BE HEARD!"
Awodeha, sole proprietor of Do Your Swim, LLC, says the idea for the conference came to her during a conversation with one of her adult daughters about the lack of confidence and faith in young women these days.
Having raised four girls herself, Awodeha also interacts with middle-school girls every day in her work for District 118. She says she feels alarmed by the messages young women, especially, seem to be receiving from society and the impact those messages are having on them.
"There's pressure to look pretty, pressure to succeed. Sometimes you have sexual advances coming at you and you don't know how to handle that as a girl," Awodeha says.
In her opinion, young women are "geared to be tender-hearted, sweet, kind, and endearing," she says. But she feels that today's young women, "are rough, you know? They're angry. They're violent. They are making choices even with their body that are not good for them."
Awodeha attributes this change in young women to a number of factors, including a breakdown in Christian faith and what she calls "family values."
"More than 80% of homes these days are run by single mothers," Awodeha claims.
Among the events of the day will be a panel featuring several local women in their 20s and 30s, from all walks of life. They will be speaking from their diverse perspectives on issues including body image, self-confidence, healthy friendships, relationships with parents, romantic relationships, technology use, drug use, and more.
One such panelist is Danville native Kelsie Coleman.
"I'm excited to come home and do what I've started doing here with people back home," says Coleman, who works closely with kids in the school district in her Wisconsin town. "I enjoy helping people, especially kids. So pouring back into the community that raised me is exciting."
For Coleman, it's important for young people in general to discover their true self and to live in alignment with it, something she hopes they take away from the conference.
"Be authentically you. Set boundaries and don't allow anybody to push you over, and just live your life every day to make an impact," says Coleman.
Several vendors will be in attendance, including the Women's Care Clinic — a local clinic that provides free medical and support services and aims to educate pregnant women about alternatives to abortion.
Lunch will be provided as well as goodie bags for each participant. Awodeha hopes the relationships they form with the women they meet at the conference will develop into mentorship connections.
"We want to encourage these girls to know that they are somebody, that they matter, that they have a purpose in God, and that we are here to support them," she says.
As far as Awodeha is concerned, such a conference could benefit young men, as well.
"I do hope that this is an inspiration or a catalyst for someone to take up the mantle for our young boys because they need something like this, too."
No advance registration is necessary, though Awodeha encourages people to check out the Facebook event page, where they can RSVP and learn more information about the conference. The Facebook event page is titled "More Than Pretty Girls Conference."
