FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
More Than 250 Young Women From Across New Jersey To Attend Empowerment Event Funded By State Grant, Learn Leadership And African Drumming
South Orange, NJ (May 28, 2014) — Judge Tiffany M. Williams, one of the youngest judges serving in the state of New Jersey, will deliver the keynote address to more than 250 young women at the 2014 Celebration of Womanhood Conference hosted on Friday, May 30, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Seton Hall University.
The third annual conference, titled “Fabulous Me,” will draw young women ages 12 to 17 from approximately 25 schools across the entire state and is designed to promote leadership, healthy relationships and self-esteem. Conference participants include at-risk youth as well as student leaders identified by social workers and guidance counselors.
Arti Kakkar, Executive Director of the Family Service Bureau of Newark, an affiliate of the nonprofit New Community Corporation, said the purpose of the conference is to bring together young women of diverse backgrounds.
The conference’s theme of sisterhoodaims “to demystify and break those boundaries” for teens meeting peers from different walks of life, Kakkar said.
Organized by the Family Service Bureau, the event is funded by a grant from the New Jersey Governor’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee, administered by the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission under the state Attorney General’s Office. The conference is co-sponsored by the Department of Family and Marriage Therapy at Seton Hall University.
Notable officials to attend the event include Hayden Smith, Acting Director of the Family Service Bureau, Kevin Brown, Director of the Juvenile Justice Commission, and Grace May, Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Seton Hall University.
Williams, who became a judge at age 36, said that she wants to inspire teens to decide their goals early in life. “Once you have that vision for yourself, don’t let anyone discourage you,” she said.
Young women will participate in workshops during two breakout sessions and attend a resource fair and panel discussion. They will also pick up a new beat and brief history lesson during a rousing African drumming session where more than 100 drums will be provided for the young women. Breakfast and lunch are provided for teens. Preregistration is required.
Williams, 40, is an Administrative Law Judge who previously served as Deputy Chief Counsel to former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. She is also an ordained minister, dancer and founder of The Esther Project, a women’s leadership and empowerment initiative started in 2010.
Date: Friday, May 30, 2014
Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Seton Hall University, 400 South Orange Ave. South Orange, NJ 07079
Visuals: African drumming lesson with more than 100 drums, keynote speaker Judge Tiffany Williams, one of New Jersey’ youngest judges, youth ages 12 to 17 from more than 25 participating schools across New Jersey.
Media contact:
Eunice Lee
elee@newcommunity.org
973-497-4413
