Zeta youth groups grow though team building

The past few months have been filled with busy schedules and great learning experiences for three area sorority youth auxiliaries. The Phi Rho Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. provided its Pearlette, Amicette and Archonette groups with several team building and leadership experiences.

The Pearlettes, ranging from ages 4-8, visited the RBC Center in Raleigh to see Disney on Ice. Each girl was asked not only to view the show, but to also consider how the creators of each animatronic device worked through technology use in creating various scenes throughout the action-packed performance. Many of the girls left the show excited about the possibilities of becoming not only a princess, but also an engineer.

Both the Amicettes (9-13) and Archonettes (14-18) had the experience of visiting the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum in Sedalia.

Charlotte Hawkins Brown devoted her life to the improvement of the African-American community's social and academic standing and was active in the National Council of Negro Women. This trip was extremely rewarding and inspirational for the young ladies, as Mrs. Brown was under the age of 25 when she founded the Palmer Institute, which is now an historic site in our state.

On Feb. 7, the Amicettes and Archonettes attended the annual Collegiate and Youth Leadership Retreat on the campus of North Carolina Central University in Durham.

The young ladies were engaged in sessions that included planning for college, improving service learning opportunities in their communities, and building leadership skills. As a result, four of the ladies were nominated and chosen to serve in state leadership positions.

Ashley Artis of Scotland Neck was named President of NC Zeta Youth, Prichette Armstrong of Enfield was named Asst. Vice President of NC Zeta Youth, Jamera Williams of Weldon was named Chaplain of NC Zeta Youth and Imani Vincent of Garysburg was named to the position of Parliamentarian.

The purpose of the Zeta youth auxiliary program is to extend an opportunity for young ladies to excel culturally, spiritually, socially, and educationally. For more information about these groups, contact Adviser Shekeria Barnes, at (252) 578-7050.