Uniquely You Summit

UYS 2012 Wrap-up

Tuesday, September 18th, 2012

It was beautiful this past weekend in Philadelphia with the ideal conditions to inspire young brown girls to feel beautiful, brave and brilliant.  A sea of brown faces, of all hues, took over the campus of Philadelphia University (and some of William Penn Charter School) for the third annual Uniquely You Summit.

 

UYS 2012 Closing day

UYS 2012

UYS 2012 Expo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From sitting in the back of Kurtz Center for the Performing Arts, I think UYS achieved their mission ‘to help black girls uniquely define, discover and become who they are.’™ The girls had a LONG weekend, but two days is a minuscule sacrifice compared to the assaults they face the other 363 days of the year.

 

UYS swag and past presenters

 

Highlights from the weekend are hip-hop legend and pioneer MC Lyte giving a little herstory about women and hip-hop and DJ Beverly Bond, founder and president of Black Girls Rock! leading the girls in reciting the UYS oath.  But let me tell you, when Walt Anderson, finalist from Making the Band 2, came out to perform “You are Uniquely You”, girls were screaming in true boy band mania fashion.

 

Walt Anderson singing “You are Uniquely You”

 

Congratulations to the UYS founder Shaleah Lache Sutton and the committee for another successful event!

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Uniquely You Summit 2012

Sunday, August 26th, 2012

The 3rd Annual Uniquely You Summit will be held in less than one month and I couldn’t be more excited!! On September 15 and 16, middle and high school girls will gather at Philadelphia University for an uplifing weekend of sisterhood, encouragement and inspiration.

UYS has grown from an annual two day event to an outright movement, leading the charge to save our girls.

I don’t know how young people manage nowadays. There has always been teasing, even bullying, pressure to have sex, comparing yourself to others and being insecure..  but it is out of control today.  Images in the media are hypersexualized and the language has become vulgar.  Bullying has expanded from the playground to the internet and text.   No wonder 1 in 4 teens in a relationship (25%) say they have been called names, harassed, or put down by their partner through cell phones and texting according to the Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU) studies for Liz Claiborne Inc., Technology & Teen Dating Abuse Survey 2007 & Teen Dating Abuse Survey, 2006.

UYS is an answer to the ratchedness and foolishness.  A beacon of light in a world of darkness.  The baby of Shaleah Laché Sutton, UYS’s mission is to help black girls uniquely define, discover and become who they are.™

If you know (or are) a young lady interesting in attending or you want to help the cause, please visit www.uniquelyyousummit.org

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