It was an afternoon of singing, dancing, drawing and reciting when PreCision, a nonprofit mentoring program for young women, held its graduation ceremony on Sunday at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Hallandale Beach.
Entitled “Expressions of a Young Mind,” the ceremony was the culmination of a 10-week course designed to enhance the self-esteem of girls 12 to 18 by using group sessions, community service projects and field trips.
PreCision stands for Providing Resources for today’s young ladies that Empower and Cultivate their Individual Self-love while Imparting various Opportunities that are Needed for them to become productive citizens.
“I was so shy at first but my self-perception has changed a lot,” said Miramar resident Tianna Campbell, 16, who was crowned Ms. PreCision.
“We did this workshop once to help us build our self-esteem, where [West Park Vice Mayor Felecia Brunson] had us look in mirrors and tell ourselves that we’re beautiful. Now I do it all the time, all day. I realized I don’t need any man or any woman to define who I am.”
Tianna and fellow graduates Jonique Smith, Miangelina Ortiz, Jasmin Lane, Chantee Georges, Shania Smith, La’Torria Johnson, Ashlee Hardemon, Aubrielle Allen, Artiah Southward, Monique Johnson, Brittany Clark-Lewis, Autumn McFarlin, Alexis Rowe and Chloe Jenkins showcased their talents during the ceremony, including art and poetry.
“Every year our graduation is different, focusing on whatever their strengths are. This year, it was the arts. They love to sing, dance, so this was a compilation showcasing their talents” said Brunson, founder and president of the PreCision program.
Tianna not only won the Ms. PreCision title but also placed first in the talent segment of the graduation. Autumn took second place for reciting a poem that challenged the audience by asking “What did you do today? Did you build me or did you break me?”
Other winners included La’Torria, who earned an appreciation award for designing a greeting card for Police Chief Nichole Anderson. Chantee and Artiah earned first and second place, respectively, for their work on the group’s service project.
All the participants received trophies and backpacks full of school supplies as well.
“Doing the community service really helped me in school,” said Jasmin, 18, who has been in the program since 2006 and was named Ms. PreCision in 2007. “We visited nursing homes, helped out the elderly, visited cancer patients in the hospital and, this year, we did the shoe boxes for the homeless.”
Besides the service project, the girls took part in workshops that focused on topics such as teen motherhood, goal-setting and organizational skills, teen safety, cyber bullying and making right decisions, self-esteem and self-image and dining and social etiquette.
“I really liked this program. They really taught us a lot about how to be young ladies, how to respect yourself, have manners and be proper,” said Miramar resident Artiah, 14.
“For me it even changed my relationship with my mom. It changed my whole attitude. I don’t talk as rude anymore and I can sit down with my mom and really talk to her,” said Autumn, 12, another Miramar resident.
Established in 2006, PreCision serves from 15 to 30 young women from Miami-Dade and Broward counties during the summer.
For information on the program, call 954-963-9687.
Photo: Tianna Campbell
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