V&P Community Magazine July/August Issue

Inside The Community Youth Auxiliary Gems Creating A Positive Inpact

By Michelle DeMarcia Davis Nu Phi Youth Auxiliary program is focused on providing youth with a solid foundation to grow. They provide the youth with various tools necessary to navigate the complexities they are presented with in today’s society both inside and outside the classroom, which is necessary to their overall success.

Hopefully, they will pass their knowledge on to the next generation.

Meet Youth Auxillary Leader Marquise Freeman.

She is an Intervention Specialist working for Cincinnati Public Schools for over twelve years. Altogether, she has been a teacher for over sixteen years. She has three children and seven grandchildren. Marquise shares that she became a member of Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Incorporated, to extend her desire to create a positive impact on our communities, youth, and found this within the Cincinnati NuPhi Chapter. Her Vision is to create a positive impact with today’s youth so they can continue to have positive outcomes and values for their own lives and communities.

Marquise goes on to share “My biggest challenge is gaining parent's trust and getting our youth to get involved in our activities that are outside of gaming systems and social media. The area that I have grown in the most is learning to be vulnerable and transparent with our youth members. Our Youth have responded positively when they are heard and know adults have shared experiences.”

I personally witnessed Marquise’s transparency with our youth and how it seems to help them understand what others go through outside of themselves. She shares her life experiences and knowledge to help their growth and self-confidence. A great example is when she gave real-life examples so youth could understand why they should hold their heads high, make eye contact, and think about how they present themselves.

26 Vision & Purpose Community Magazine