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After years empowering teenage girls, Janine Davis is launching a daylong summit to help teenage boys and girls make better decisions and develop positive identities.
For Teens Only will be Aug. 15 at the Charlotte Convention Center, but activities start Sunday with the For Teens Only Teen Idol contest. Teens ages 11-19 will compete for a chance to perform at the expo, and in front of record label executives.
The contest is part of Davis' broader effort to help teens. She teamed with New Birth Charlotte to host For Teens Only. Besides helping teens, they want to help adults understand the issues their children face.
“These are real problems,” Davis said. “Who's going to help these kids? Who's going to help them make good choices?”
Davis knows all about the problems teens face. She runs the nonprofit foundation Girl Talk, which mentors girls ages 11-16, and is also a radio personality at Power 98.
Davis hears from troubled teens and frustrated parents. One parent who called Davis was concerned because her daughters were obese. And Davis has heard from preteen girls having sex with men in their 20s.
Terrell Murphy, New Birth Charlotte's pastor, focuses on youth at his church and he's concerned about teen violence, poor academic performance and gang activity.
“They're looking for a place to belong. That comes from a lack of identity,” Murphy said. “We want to wake up the usefulness that lies in all of our teenagers.”
Organizers hope to draw at least 7,000 participants to the expo. Despite the name, the event is for parents and teens, and there will be panels for both. Guest speakers include former Carolina Panthers Mike Minter, Mike Rucker and Brentson Buckner, and Girls on the Run founder Molly Barker. The cost is $10 per person.
Along with the vendors, the summit will include panel discussions for teens. Topics include dating and sex, body image and peer pressure.
Brian Long, 27, of Statesville will talk about the lure and dangers of gangs. As a teen, he was a member of the Crips gang for a couple of years. After going to prison for armed robbery, he became a motivational speaker. Long wants to show teens the risks associated with following the gang life.
“I try to give people an idea of how hard it was for me,” he said. “It's a great opportunity to have stuff like this for the youth to see it can happen to you.”
There will be coed and single-gender seminars for teens. There will also be two seminars for parents. Tina Meier, whose daughter committed suicide after being bullied on MySpace, will discuss cyber bullying, Davis said. A judge this month threw out the conviction of a neighbor and former friend for her role in an online hoax that led to Megan Meier's death.
Organizers want to make sure parents actively participate in the expo.
“We want to make sure parents don't drop their kids off,” Davis said.
