This year's G Code was nothing less than amazing! We expected an average of 25 people to attend but we were shocked to fill up the room to capacity! As we prepared the event to welcome our guests, we were also collecting sock donations for the Atlanta Homeless community. With a mother / daughter duo hosting the event, we were able to speak from both perspectives.
The young ladies on the panel ages ranged from 17-23. We introduced ourselves and asked the guests to write an anonymous question for our young ladies to answer. The questions were great and the answers were unfiltered and honest. The final question in the first half that had us all in our feelings was, "How is your relationship with your father, and what do you need from him." This brought everyone to tears. Our first panelist broke down before being able to get one word out. She was comforted while she was allowed time to speak. She spoke about not having a relationship with her father and relying on her sisters and single mother to make it through. The very emotional young lady sparked a memory in everyone in the room. The other 3 young ladies on the panel spoke about their fathers being incarcerated and not having much of a memory of them prior to leaving, having to miss daddy / daughter dances, not being able to have them when needed, and just their fathers lack of interest in their lives. The emotional topic caused us to run past our schedule, but it was needed!
As we went to break, the guests conversed, exchanged information, found mentors, and networked with the young ladies. This was an unplanned amazing experience.
The second half was reversed! We chose 4 parents to sit on the panel as the teens asked questions that needed answers to. Some texted the questions to remain anonymous. The questions included, "Why do parents treat their daughters different from their sons", "Why do parents always say "because I said so", and "What would you tell your younger self". The parents were raw and uncut, they spoke to the audience about how they feel as a parent. The powerful aspect of this is, teens were able to learn their parents in a fun atmosphere just as the parents were able to learn more about their daughters.
Our sole purpose for this event is to create a platform for teen girls to speak on issues that affect them the most. In today's society, our young ladies are faced with so many obstacles that lead them to make the wrong decisions because they have no one to turn to. Many of our young ladies are suffering in silence. The G Code is to provide them with some advice to make better choices and speak on topics they care about the most!
Thank You to everyone that made this event possible.
@deniaCruz
@amee_events
@only1carter
@dr8nn
@theblissbooth
@kupcakerie
@earldinnerparty
and everyone that volunteered and donated!