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Local kids may be out of school for the summer, but they will still have a chance to learn some lessons this weekend.
Local motivational speaker Corey Harris is hosting his fourth annual Empower Our Youth Extravaganza this Saturday at the New Rising Sun Baptist Church in Houma. The event’s flyer lists a variety of performers, including multiple local dance teams and DJ Juice.
A number of speakers from all walks of life will be on hand to each deliver their own messages, as well. Harris himself will speak, and he will be joined by Judge Juan Pickett and WWL-TV Morning Anchor Sally Ann Roberts.
Harris, a Terrebonne Parish native who has been speaking to local youth for about seven years, said the annual event is an extension of his public speaking endeavors. He said the goal of the extravaganza is to bring lots of children and families together to spread a message of positivity and let the children know they’re valued and they matter.
“Some kids I think they feel that if they don’t come from a certain neighborhood, they’re not valuable to society like other kids are,” Harris said. “Or some kids [feel bad] because they might not be able to get a certain kind of brand-name shoe or a certain kind of clothing they may not be able to get.”
According to Harris, part of his message is the difference in background or situation does not affect one’s inherent value. He said he wants children to accept those differences but value themselves to the point where they can think for themselves, particularly in situations where they could be asked to do things they are uncomfortable with.
“I do stress the fact that hey, each and every person comes from different backgrounds and has different people that they grow up around. But it’s a key thing to not be complacent and it’s not always good to just follow the crowd, because sometimes the crowd is the worst thing to follow,” Harris said.
Harris said he strives to provide a different, outside voice to children, who sometimes tune out their teachers and parents who they hear from every day. He said he knows he was fortunate to have a proper support system from his parents and community as he grew up and that not every kid has that same kind of support. Harris believes by showing the children out there that somebody else cares about them he can assist teachers, parents and neighborhoods in pushing kids to set high goals and chase them.
“I think we all could benefit from the fact that there’s somebody out there that’s just trying to help push you and help encourage you and help just build up that fuel inside of you that maybe has been drained through the years or been drained because of unfortunate circumstances. Just some things you didn’t really have to go through,” Harris said.
Harris, who also leads a local anti-bullying initiative, said the empowerment event has grown each year. He said while continued growth, such as children he previously spoke to joining him on the speaker side, is a good sign, he measures success by the message he delivers rather than the size of the crowd.
“Whether it’s an event with five people or 500 people, long as I’m doing something not that I think is great but that I know is great for humanity and that I know could be something that could possibly help somebody, to me that in itself is successful,” Harris said.
The empowerment event runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. this Saturday with doors opening at 1:15 p.m. The event is free to the public. •
