ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Girl Empowerment Day is an annual event SAFE founder Shanika Aiken says is aimed to educate and empower young women. This year's event is centered around mental health awareness.
Girls ages 11-17 will have the opportunity to get insight from local women entrepreneurs and talk about mental health.
The panelists come from varied backgrounds including photography, catering, modeling, and funeral services. Aiken says having a wide range of perspectives on the panel to learn from will help inspire young girls to follow their dreams.
“Why you can’t be all these things? So we wanted to give them an image of different things that they can do other than what they normally see," said SAFE founder Shanika Aiken.
She says the key mission of the panel is allowing space for discussions about mental health, something she says has been heightened during the COVID pandemic.
“What we have seen within the organization is a lot of isolation. COVID has allowed them to kind of be to themselves and it’s gotten worse now that they don’t wanna come out of their room," said Aiken.
The SAFE organization is a nonprofit agency providing mentorship and educational services to youth in the Orangeburg area and surrounding counties.
At the event, girls will be able to get connected directly to counselors at the Family Health Center and other local mental health professionals. Registration for the event is open online.
Youth in attendance must provide proof of vaccination. It takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Orangeburg County Conference Center.