Girl Talk Inc. Shapes Knoxville’s Future Women
Sometimes, just talking helps. That’s the premise behind Girl Talk Inc., a Knoxville-based nonprofit aimed at helping Knoxville’s young females grow into their best selves. The talking happens in lots of
ways — at after-school programs in elementary schools and community centers; in one-on-one outings with mentors; during college visits and field trips; in Life Prep Academy workshops as they look beyond high school.
“They just need someone in their corner who will support them, hear them and see them,” says Maya Brown, who coordinates Girl Talk’s mentoring program for high schoolers. “Someone who can be available if they have a question. Who shows up for them even if they don’t have to show up.”
All that talk — and the active listening that accompanies it — appears to be having the effect founder and executive director Denetria Moore hoped for when she started Girl Talk in 2006. The organization says that 100 percent of their Girl Talk grads get through high school without becoming pregnant and go on to pursue post-secondary education.
Sharing Experiences
Moore founded Girl Talk in the living room of her East Knoxville apartment. A Memphis native, Moore became a single mom while studying at the University of Tennessee. Though she did graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, she knew her path would have been easier without having to parent at such a young age.
“I wanted to prevent girls from making the same mistakes I made growing up,” she says. “I also wanted to give them a safe space to be, feel, and receive love and guidance. It has blossomed into way more than I ever could have imagined.”
Today Girl Talk serves more than 400 Knoxville-area girls each year with a variety of programs that begin with after-school group mentoring for third- through fifth-graders at 17 schools and community centers. Once they enter middle school, girls can be matched with an adult mentor who connects with them at least monthly for a meal or an activity. They also participate in Girl Talk signature events like sleepovers and retreats, college and career tours and the annual fashion show/gala which serves as its principle fundraiser. High schoolers are encouraged to participate in Life Prep Academy, which provides monthly sessions on everything from budgeting to job interviewing skills, ACT test prep to visioning workshops.
Life Prep Academy
Chania Arnold started with Girl Talk as a student mentee. When she graduated from Hardin Valley Academy, she became an intern for Girl Talk as well as a mentor for two girls. Now she’s graduating from Johnson University and serving as the Life Prep Academy coordinator for ninth- and tenth-graders.
She wants the girls to leave Girl Talk and Life Prep with the knowledge that they have a support system and they know where they’re headed. “We work on an action plan — what are the barriers you will face and who do you have to support you. We want them to know they have the ability to be everything they want to be,” she says.
Vania Brown, a tenth-grader at Austin-East Magnet High School, learned about Girl Talk at a career fair and has been a member for two years. She says she’s learned a lot about time management through the Life Prep program and has set long- and short-term goals for her plan to become a registered nurse. Goal one: straight A’s in school. Check.
“It’s a fun program to be in,” Vania says. “You connect with a lot of other girls and build friendships with girls from other schools and grade levels. I learn a lot from them, and I know I have people I can talk to.”
Brooklyn Ballenger, also an A-E sophomore, has been involved with Girl Talk since fifth grade. Now she’s in Life Prep, which she describes as “help for life outside of school.” She says participants should be ready to commit to monthly meetings and active participation. She also likes participating in the mentoring program. “I have people to talk to who can give me advice. It’s a good support system.”
One-to-one mentoring
Attorney Jenaé Easterly has been a Girl Talk mentor since 2016. “I became a mentor to give back, grow alongside others, and honor the support I once received from my own mentors. It’s about being a dependable guide and friend, helping others achieve their goals while continuing to learn myself,” she says.
Easterly says she and her mentee try to meet in person once a month, but communicate more often than that. “When we do hang out we do things like cook dinner at the house, go shopping, watch movies or go out to eat.”
And she thinks both of them have benefited from their relationship. “I feel my mentee has gained confidence, clarity, and valuable skills through our time together. She has developed a stronger sense of direction, grown personally and professionally, and built a support system she can rely on,” she says. “I’ve benefited by gaining fresh perspectives, strengthening my own skills, and finding fulfillment in seeing someone else grow. Mentoring has also deepened my sense of purpose and helped me build meaningful connections.”
Currently, 56 mentors are working with 74 girls in one-to-one relationships. They meet them in speed matching events and activities like bowling parties and then Girl Talk pairs up the mentors and girls who connected the most.
Mentors must be at least 21 and agree to a background check and training, They also agree to spend time with their mentee each month. Maya Brown has seen the impact these relationships can have on the girls.
“One girl came in so timid and kind of closed off,” she says. “She needed extra confidence. Eventually she went from quiet to using her voice. She was a speaker at her graduation. She performed at our gala. You could see her blossom.”
How to help
Becoming a mentor is one important way to get involved with Girl Talk. The organization is currently recruiting more of them. You can learn more at girltalkinc.com
The Girl Talk Gala and Fashion Show raises about 19 percent of its annual operating budget, says Lauren Cox, development director. So attending the August show at the Knoxville Convention Center is another way to get involved. So is making an individual contribution. Girl Talk also receives funding through the United Way, grants, corporate contributions and foundations. “We try to create safe spaces to be in a chaotic, demanding world,” Brown says. That’s worth talking about.
To learn more about Girl Talk, visit girltalkinc.com.
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