On September 18, the HOPE Division of ATLAS Ministry, in collaboration with the Greene County School District, hosted its first Teen Summit, “Keeping it Real – Your Choice/Your Reality.”  Held at Greene County High School, the event was attended by approximately 100 parents and teens.

HOPE (Healthy Options for Personal Empowerment) is an ATLAS initiative operating within the Greene County School District.  The program provides teens with unabridged information about lifestyle choices involving sex, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, and employs creative classroom activities that leave a lasting impression.

The day-long summit began with a rallying routine by HOPE’s Peer-suaders, followed by a motivational speech by Ms. Aisha Felder, a Brand Marketing Manager on the National African American team with The Coca-Cola Company.  Her speech entitled, “The Road Less Traveled,” focused on the importance of setting goals, identifying one’s gifts and making good choices.  Ms. Felder challenged the students to dream big dreams and invite God on their journey to discover their full potential.

The event provided teens with information and hands-on activities that will help them reach their career and personal goals and live the reality of their dreams.  It provided parents with tools, ideas, and opportunities to support their children and help ensure their success in life.

Separate sessions were held for parents and teens during the summit, with a break for lunch and entertainment.  Parent sessions included informative presentations on the subjects of parenting skills (Mrs. Bessie Brown – Putnam Co. Schools Asst. Supt.), media exploitation (Mr. Gregg Johnson – The MATURE Project), and sexually transmitted diseases (Mrs. Philippia Faust – The MATURE Project.)

Interactive teen sessions were held on the subjects of cyber safety (Dr.Christa Deissler – Media Specialist, Union Point Elementary School), career paths ( Dr. Angela Brown – Professor, Piedmont College), financial literacy (Ms. Sharon Wood – Financial Service Rep., SunTrust Bank), and Risky Behaviors/STDs (Mrs. Phillipia Faust – The MATURE Project.)

During lunch provided by the Madison Chick-fil-A, attendees enjoyed lively entertainment performed by Danahj Wright (“Michael Jackson”), Peter White, Quanderious Briscoe, Gerald Evans, and Jarvis Vestal (“The Jackson Five”) and GCHS Band.

The closing segment of the event was a powerful DVD presentation which featured several GCHS graduates who spoke on how the choices they made as teenagers had affected their lives. Special thanks to the graduates for sharing their stories and to Mrs. Marilyn Johnson for the countless hours spent producing the documentary.

A big Thank You to our sponsors who helped make the summit a reality: Chick-fil-A, Education 2020, BankSouth, Iota Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the Greene County School System, The Johnson Group, AHB Enterprises, Nestle Corp., and The Coca-Cola Bottling Company.