Teen Voices proves business is not just for the boys

Christine McCall

At the ripe old age of 17, Amity Paye is proof that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

As a young girl, Paye was interested in fashion design. Last summer, she learned how to sew, created her own clothing line called AMP Designs and has been selling clothes ever since. Her designs have already appeared in fashions shows.

Paye was one of the guest speakers at last weekend’s business and leadership conference at Simmons College. Titled “Mind Your Bizness,” the event was the third annual summer conference organized by Teen Voices, a Boston-based organization charged with empowering teenage girls to make a difference through the power of writing and other forms of communication.

“I told them they don’t have to wait until they’re adults,” said Paye, who will be a senior at Boston Latin this fall. “They can pursue their dreams while they’re still teenagers in high school.”

Though recent studies have found that teenage girls are not overwhelmingly interested in pursuing careers in business and entrepreneurship, the fifty teens that attended “Mind Your Bizness” were engaged and enthusiastic throughout the day’s events.

“The point of the conference is not to convert every girl into wanting to be a businesswoman, but to show them it is a viable option for a career choice,” said Saun Green, program director at Teen Voices.

The workshops featured goal-oriented women who have started their own businesses and been successful in turning their passions into careers.

“I think as a teenage woman, it is very empowering to see women in leadership positions,” Green said. “[‘Mind Your Bizness’] is a grander scale of what happens every day at Teen Voices.”

Adanma Ude, 16, of Mattapan, is a peer leader at Teen Voices whose responsibilities include interacting with the girls and advocating for the program.

“As you mature in your role [at Teen Voices], you mature as a person,” Ude said. “I think I’ve learned not to be so judgmental because you don’t know what people are going through. We [Teen Voices] do something for people — we empower young girls like me.”

Guest speakers at the event included Stacey Blake-Beard, an associate professor at the Simmons College School of Management; Tomeeka Farrington, a public relations specialist and founder of Spotlight Communications; Kaidi Grant, founder of Lip-Hop Cosmetics and Lip-Hop Nation Foundation; and Janille Hill and Lekisha Benjamin of A Chosen Few Inc. step team.

Each workshop aimed to show the different faces of business and entrepreneurship. The theme of Grant’s workshop was “It’s all about the hustle.”

As a former teen parent, Grant had to overcome many obstacles during her young adult years. During the rough times, she realized that she couldn’t give up and had to learn how to stay strong, keep the faith and stay on her hustle.

Two of Grant’s passions in life are cosmetics and hip-hop. With great drive and focus, Grant found a way to combine two of her loves into her own cosmetics line, Lip-Hop Cosmetics, which was founded in 2001.

Grant said she attended this conference because she wanted to get the girls to realize their potential.

In her workshop, Grant advised the girls to “think big and think about what you like and how you can spin that into your own business.”

Two other presenters were sisters Janille Hill, 22, and Lekisha Benjamin, 20, of A Chosen Few Inc. They started a step team back in 2002 and became incorporated last year. The focus of Hill and Benjamin’s seminar was talking to the teens about turning their passions into a business, setting goals and encouraging them to see that they are capable and talented enough to start their own businesses.

“Since I first had an encounter with [stepping], that’s something that I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” Hill said. “I’m glad I could turn my passion into a business.”

During the workshop, the girls were given some time to record their passions, goals and ideas in a journal. The second half of the workshop featured videos of A Chosen Few step team, and then Hill and Benjamin went on to teach the girls some step moves, which were performed at the conclusion of the conference.

Hill said that through working and getting to know the girls she was reminded that “it’s important to be vibrant and that you can never stop dreaming.”

One teen at the event was 17-year-old Tacina Davis of Dorchester, who was invited by her cousin, Tiya Perkins, who works for Teen Voices. She participated in Farrington’s PR workshop and Blake-Beard’s seminar on leadership and teamwork.

Davis, who wants to attend college for culinary arts and business management, said she learned the importance of teamwork in everyday life and the key differences between PR and advertising. She was so impressed with the conference that she plans to apply to the Teen Voices program in the near future and bring her sister along to the next event.

“Everyone is here for a reason; you just need to find it,” Grant said. “You’ve got to tap into your God-given talents. No matter what cards life deals you, you have to play them with hard work, character and sheer perseverance.”