The Building Up the Youth nonprofit hosted its annual Girls’ Unity Day at the Sicklerville VFW post on July 11.
Rain didn’t diminish the positive energy at the small venue, where every girl got a warm welcome from the organization’s founder and CEO, Ernest Brown, and a pink T-shirt with the group’s name and logo.
Upbeat music filled the room as the girls gathered at tables to chat. The Building Up the Youth event featured motivational speakers, interactive activities, giveaways and opportunities for the girls to connect with positive mentors and community leaders.
Girls’ Unity Day was created to provide a safe space and an encouraging environment for young women to share life experiences, build friendships and inspire goals for the future. Those in Brown’s program feel comfortable enough to share their personal problems with him or with the group’s senior members, often seeking guidance on situations at home and in relationships, peer pressure and mental-health issues.
Brown – a Sicklerville resident – often shows up in courtrooms on behalf of young people facing jail time.
“We help them with support and motivation, because a lot of these kids don’t have support,” he explained. “I’m somebody who did a lot of time in jail when I was young, and I didn’t have support living in Philly.”
Brown’s personal journey growing up inspired him to create Building Up the Youth in 2017. There are now more than 1,000 young men and women enrolled. Brown enjoys mentoring young people he believes have not gotten proper guidance in life.
“When I look at things now, especially in areas like Sicklerville or Camden, and see so many kids graduate and go to college, that’s the biggest thing to me,” Brown acknowledged. “That actually brings tears to my eyes when I see that.
“And when it comes to these young ladies in here, whatever their dream is, I say go follow it.”
Asadan Taylor is among those involved in Building Up the Youth. She considers the organization a great place to be involved.
“He teaches you a lot about yourself, and you get to grow overall,” Taylor said of Brown. “You get community service, and to just build a community with a whole bunch of people that you never knew before. You get new friendships and bond with each other.”
Taylor Hart shared the sentiment of feeling like part of a community.
“I’ve been in Building Up the Youth for about five years now,” she noted. “I joined because I just saw a lot of people joining, and I thought, ‘Why not? Let’s see what it’s about.’ So after being in Building Up the Youth, it’s impacted my life by giving me another support system.
“If I didn’t want to talk to my mom or dad,” Hart added, “I had a whole chat group of girls, coaches and just more role models to look up to. And I’m also a role model to other people who are just now joining and younger generations.”
Sykii Quann has been in the program for about four years and feels it has positively impacted her life.
“It helped most with my emotions and everything,” she said, “kept me from fighting, arguing and being on the streets.”
In addition to Unity Day, Building Up the Youth hosts proms, basketball games and backpack and coat drives.
Sykii Quann (left to right) Anastasia Haynes, Nizyii Quann, Ernest Brown, Asadan Taylor, Taylor Alexis and Ariyah Ways at Unity Day on July 11.
