Standing in the Gap
Here’s a post from 11/20/11
Just getting home from picking my son up from work and have him watching a show on black men in prison-yes, at midnight. It’s sad how the world and so much foolishness seem to have greater influence than parents. However, this parent won’t surrender. I’m a single mom like so many others, and we all have a responsibility to help all parents and all children. We all need to Stand in the Gap.
This evening I made it home from Columbia, TN where I was a speaker at the Standing in the Gap Young Female Empowerment Conference. The wonderful leaders of the …But I Do Outreach ministry put on a life-changing conference full of great speakers on topics such as health, self-esteem, relationships, teen pregnancy, and single parenting. The event culminated with a What Not to Wear Fashion Show.
All 175 girls in attendance received a copy of my book and the …But I Do leaders will be following up with the girls to make sure they read it. All girls were attentive to each speaker as women shared their testimonies that will change the girl’s lives if they heed warnings and follow advice.
The highlight of the event for me was when a 14-year-old girl approached me after my speech. She said she didn’t want to come and that her mom had made her attend. Then she hugged me and said she was so glad her mom did. After the fashion show, her mom came to pick her up. She came inside and said, “My daughter said I just had to meet you. She’s so excited about reading your book! I don’t know what you said, but thank you!”
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I’m Summer Owens, and my passion is helping youth and young adults realize success no matter what obstacles they face. As an international resilience and leadership keynote speaker, author, S.O. What! Success Coach, and creator of the S.O. What! Literacy, Life Skills, and Character Education curriculum, I empower people to say, “So what!” to even their greatest challenges. provide a framework to help people see past their challenges and focus on solutions using the S.O. What! Success System (Overcome Obstacles + Eliminate Excuses + Calculate Choices = S.O. What! Success). Through keynotes, workshops, books, online courses, and workbooks, I use life’s challenges and my own story of resilience as a rape survivor and teen mom success story to help others confidently pursue their dreams.
Looking for an inspiring college motivational speaker? A high school literacy curriculum? A middle school life skills workbook? A great example for teen mothers? A women’s empowerment or single mother’s conference speaker? I’m your girl and will help any audience say, “S.O. What!”.
