Girl Talk and Sisters Kin-nect are designed to empower women and girls to excel. Both are part of the city of St. Petersburg’s My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper programming.

ST. PETERSBURG – Nearly 200 district girls in grades 8-12 attended the second annual Just Girl Talk Conference in St. Petersburg last month.

The conference was a collaborative effort between the city of St. Petersburg Urban Affairs Division, St. Petersburg College and the Pinellas County School District. The event was held at the St. Petersburg Coliseum. The Just Girl Talk Conference was designed to encourage girls’ brilliance and to cultivate their curiosity to achieve what might seem difficult and impossible. It also attempted to develop their leadership skills by creating a safe space for honest discussion of their needs from support systems in their community.

The day included breakfast and lunch as well as breakout sessions titled: Pampering Your Soul, Level Up, Secure Your Bag, Planning, Mingle/Network. Ramona Smith, the 2018 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking, was the keynote speaker. Attendees experienced culturally relevant workshops, panel discussions, self-care tips and empowerment circles led by local business owners, educators, community leaders and other influencers.

The Girl Talk conference preceded the inaugural Sister’s Kin-nect program, which saw 75 young women from the St. Pete community gather to hear keynote speaker and 2018 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking Ramona Smith and take part in workshops on topics ranging from organization and financial empowerment to mental health and professional networking. The goal was to provide women of all ages a chance to experience an evening of personal investment, intentional workshops and inspiring speakers.

Both Just Girl Talk and Sister’s Kin-nect are components of St. Petersburg’s My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper programming.

The My Brother’s Keeper initiative was launched by then-Presdent Barack Obama to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman adopted the program in 2016 and expanded it to include girls. (For related stories, click here, click here and click here.)

“The My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper programs were crafted to holistically address challenges facing men and women in our community,” Kriseman said. “After attending the MBK Rising! Convention earlier this year and learning about other cities doing this important work, my administration is happy to announce the expansion of our MBSK programming and promote diversity, inclusion and equity.”

Nikki Capehart, the city’s director of Urban Affairs, said, “”We were excited to introduce the annual Sister’s Kin-nect event to create a connection between the young women of existing My Sister’s Keeper initiatives
to the inspirational women living and working in St.Pete. This annual event will give young women the chance to be exposed to women working in a variety of industries, from medical professionals, entrepreneurs and even our own deputy mayor, Dr. Kanika Tomlin.”

For  information about Sister’s Kin-nect and other MBSK programs in St. Pete, go to stpete.org/MBSK.

Main photo of attendees at the Just Girl Talk Conference courtesy of the Pinellas County School District.

In-story photo of attendees at Sister Kin-nect courtesy of the city of St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg | Events | Rick Kriseman | Children | Tampabay News

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