40: Felicia Gibson Jaycox - Daring to find the power within

This episode is part of a series in the Take Over Season where speaker, host and adventure creator Danielle Fontus took over the podcast for chats about living a daring life.

Dani is chatting with Felicia Gibson Jaycox, the founder and executive director of The Power of You Teens - a Harlem based mentoring and empowerment group for girls ages 10 - 18.

For Felicia, this organization started at a time when she was in a lot of pain. She shares about the unexpected loss of her brother and how she coped with the help of a supportive sisterhood.

Learning to channel her pain into passion, she poured her heart into a space where she saw others hurting - teenaged girls who had lost hope, some even resulting in suicide, from life challenges they were facing, like bullying and abuse. Through volunteering, Felicia was able to push through her own pain and she rediscovered the joy she had in touching the lives of young girls that she'd felt before during her days working with a runaway center in Florida.

Today, through The Power of You Teens, Felicia has created a loving and supportive community, where she and her team of Power Women pour into these young girls the inspiration and the resources they need to discover the power within themselves and show up in the world as their best powerful selves.

From teaching one young woman to read and pairing one with a piano teacher to field trips and workshops lead by women from a wide variety of professional backgrounds, these girls are constantly exposed to the possibilities available to them. Year-round these teens participate in the program that includes things like improv classes, healthy cooking demonstrations, financial education workshops, college preparation sessions; and for four years they have put on their Empowerment Experience - their major event that intends to educate, empower and engage the larger Harlem community.

Felicia's vision has become a powerful reality thanks to her dedication and the support of the every-community who believe in and want to do whatever they can for our teens.

To learn more about The Power of You Teens, you can visit their website: http://thepowerofyouteens.org/

Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePowerofYouTeens/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepowerofyou10

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerofyouteens/

Indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fundraiser-for-the-power-of-you-teens-2017-girls#/

Or reach out directly to Felicia [e-mail] if you are interested in supporting however you can.