THE EXPO

The National Black Teen Empowerment Expo (NBTEE) is about helping today’s teens look good and feel good about themselves and their world using fashion, art and music as better ways to reach and teach them.

The NBTEE will place positive people, constructive activities and greater opportunities within our teens’ reach so more of our teens reach for the right things more often.

The NBTEE will motivate our teens to believe in themselves, and achieve and succeed in their lives.

The NBTEE will give every participating teen the tools they need to make the right decisions in life.

The NBTEE will inspire our teenagers to value family, community and knowledge.  And better value their culture, our world and one another.

The NBTEE will equip today’s teens with the social, professional and business skills they need to become better-prepared adults.

The NBTEE will offer teenagers the guidance and assistance they need so they aren’t as easily misled or misguided by media, society or environment and even, sometimes, their own family and friends.

The NBTEE will help our teens realize the importance of developing healthy minds, bodies and souls.

The NBTEE will create a forum that teenagers can use to speak their minds so we “truly” hear them.  For if we better listen to what they tell us, we can better understand how to give them what they need to grow in the right direction.

The NBTEE will empower teenagers to empower their younger brothers and sisters, and their communities.

The NBTEE will give our community an opportunity to help make a difference in the lives of today’s teenagers. If we show ourteens that we care about them, they will better care about themselves.  If we show our teens how much we value them, they will better value their lives and the lives of others, and also better value our people and planet.

The NBTEE will also bring together, under one roof, many community and youth service providers so that we can begin to build a collaborative support system for our younger generation, locally and regionally, and work towards the formation of a national youth movement with strength in numbers and political clout.

Here are the primary goals of the NBTEE:

1. Strengthen our teenagers’ minds, hearts, bodies and spirits to help them rise above and overcome the all-too-many negative influences of society, media, environment and peer pressure.

2. Create a forum that highlights and shares with the world the many talents and gifts of our teens to inspire all teens to reach for their best.

3. Instill within our teenagers a greater understanding of economics and politics (in conformance with New York State social studies and politics standards) so they know how to command change in their communities, and become influential citizens and enlisted activists in the process and progress.

4. Improve communication and collaboration among youth, educational and community resource providers so that our teens are consistently aware of and involved in beneficial programs and services.

5. Better connect teens to community, youth and educational resources, and caring community members, so they achieve academically and succeed professionally.

6. Provide more recognition of and support for community, youth and educational resources, and find better ways to get them to our children on the streets and in the schools.

7. Attract and supply tutors and mentors for participating youth.

8. Promote discussions about and delivery of effective ways to reach and teach today’s young generation.

9. Build stronger “working” relationships with youth on the streets and students in schools.

10. Develop consistent initiatives to uplift our children’s communities such as The National Black Teen Radio Show, and introduce a variety of teen programs including media communication, economics, politics, entrepreneurialism, etc.

11. Leverage enhanced communication for and with today’s young generation to propel consistent progress as a community and people.