LATTA—The Latta Schools Girl Talk group held their annual Tea Party recently at the Ellis Performing Arts Center.
The Tea Party is  an etiquette class and a tea in one, according to Ashley Sawyer, the founder and leader of the group. “This is a sacred time for the Girl Talk girls because it allows us to interact with other strong female community members in a positive manner, to practice and show off some of what we have learned this year, and most importantly, it allows us to enjoy other young ladies in a positive way while honoring and recognizing our senior members,” said Sawyer.
Girl Talk is a student-led group where high school girls mentor middle school girls on how to handle issues that they are facing through positive activities, lessons and community service while equipping them to be productive positive role models, Sawyer explained.
The idea for the group started when Mrs. Krista Byrd, a Thirty-One representative, approached Sawyer with the idea because Thirty-One supports the group, and she felt it would be a positive outlet for young women in their district.  After much brainstorming, planning and meeting with administration, they were finally allowed to start the group. Morgan Bryant-Cook, the assistant leader, assisted Sawyer with the process. They were officially recognized as a student-led group in August 2013.
Girl Talk meets twice a month for group activities, lessons, and small service projects.  They meet for community projects as needed.
All girls are welcome, said Sawyer. She explained that  sometimes a teacher recommends a young woman; other times a girl may come with a friend that is already attending;  and girls are often invited to come to a meeting.
Girl Talk has two teacher sponsors at the Middle School and the administrations at both schools have been instrumental in helping us as a group accomplish all that we do.  She gave a very special thank you to Debra Morris, Stephanie Ard, Leigh Sloan, Kristen Richards and Sherie Sawyer. Their activities are based on real life lessons on how to deal with issues many girls face during middle and high school, team-building activities, service projects found in the schools, and community service projects outside of the schools, said Sawyer.
Since the beginning of the program, Girl Talk has averaged  35 or more girls each year, and this has been a steady number for the last three years.   
Sawyer said the group is flexible, and one can come to a meeting at any time.  She said she knows it has affected well over 100 girls over the last 3 years. This year, they have had 35+ participants.
Sawyer said Girl Talk benefits both the middle school and the high school girls. “As a mentor, you learn to lead and empower others in a positive manner, which molds you to be a better person. As the mentee, it helps equip you to handle life while letting you know that you are not alone. It also develops the young women to our future leaders of Girl Talk,” said Sawyer.
As Sawyer and Bryant-Cook graduate this year, there will be new leaders for the upcoming year. Karli Wilkes will be the new Girl Talk leader, and Brianna Harrison will be assisting her with this new role as assistant leader.
Sawyer said she is hopeful that Girl Talk will continue and grow as group while holding true the foundational principles of girls empowering and leading other girls through positive interaction.