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| From left, Rica Trigs, BOLD participant Leisha Cousin, SU Ag Center Extension Assistant Dana Isaac, BOLD participant JaLesia Cousin, Meagan Callier, Briana Wilson, and Kyra Turner pose for a photo after the Teen Summit on July 11 in Madisonville, LA. |
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| RolesModels of Hope co-founder JaLesia Cousin, standing far left in white, takes a photo with youth and speakers following the Teen Summit held on July 11 as part of the Building Opportunities through Leadership Development (BOLD) curriculum. |
Baton Rouge, LA- Self-confidence, empowerment and knowing your
self-worth were the resounding themes of the 2015 Teen Summit held at the
Historic St. James Baptist Church in Madisonville, La. on July 11.
More than 40 teens attended the summit, which was co-sponsored by the
church and RoleModels of Hope, a non-profit organization established to empower
young women to make better life decisions through self-development trainings.
SU Ag Center’s Building Opportunities through Leadership
Development (BOLD) Project participants JaLesia and Leisha Cousin are the co-founders
of the RoleModels of Hope organization.
“BOLD has provided us with the skills needed to make the dream of
starting a non-profit organization a reality,” said JaLesia Cousin.
“The BOLD project has developed our leadership skills to enable us
to positively impact the lives of both young women and young men in St. Tammany
Parish,” said Leisha Cousin.
Southern University Ag Center Extension Assistant Dana Isaac attended
the summit and was awed by the presentation.
“The Teen Summit was inspiring, heartfelt and
uplifting. There were a number of speakers on the program; all of them did
extremely well. The three that stood out the most were host, JaLesia Cousin,
Rica Trigs and Meagan Callier. Their stories were powerful, insightful, useful
to teens in high school as well as those entering their freshmen year in
college,” said Isaac. “The teen summit was a blessing to me. I encourage the
Cousins to continue their work with young people in the community. I was happy
to be a part of their successful event,” she added.
The BOLD Project is an evaluative and technical
assistance project designed to develop teams of emerging leaders who work
together across racial, class and community boundaries in innovative ways to
promote community and economic development in rural and under-served
communities throughout Louisiana. The project was developed by SU Ag Center’s
assistant specialist of community and economic development, Dr. Kenyetta
Nelson-Smith.
BOLD participants are required to develop new
community projects or enhance existing projects throughout the duration of the
course.
The Project is now accepting applications for the
2015-2016 session. Classes will begin on Saturday, October 17, 2015 for
registered participants. Interested
candidates should submit an application form via email to
kenyetta_smith@suagcenter.com or print and mail to: Building Opportunities
through Leadership Development. P.O. Box 10010, Baton Rouge, LA 70813.
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