My FACE, Inc.

My FACE (Males and Females Acting in Confidence and Empowerment) was founded in Wilmington, NC in 2008 to train women in personal development and leadership, including communication, esteem building, personal affirmation, responsibility, self-respect/honoring oneself, respect for others, acknowledging/encouraging other women, trust, relationship-building, team building, and problem solving. Our mission is to improve and enhance the status and quality of life for women and young men of color. Historically, women and men of color have lagged behind the majority population, socially and economically, and thus have been generally powerless and disenfranchised. They have not been encouraged to be strong leaders. Our vision is that all women and young men of color will be prepared to live and thrive abundantly, proficiently and effectively in the contemporary world.

Initial programs included a presentation, “Economy Plain and Simple: Preparing for Difficult Times,” facilitated by Steve Lee, President of the Southeastern Alliance for Community Change, Wilmington, NC, and a workshop on “Winter Blues: How the Seasons Affect Mind, Body, Spirit,” facilitated by Tricia Miller, Oriental Medical Therapies, Wilmington, NC. Since then, My FACE presented a conference on “Preparing Women to Live and to Thrive—Abundantly, Proficiently and Effectively in Contemporary America.”

My FACE target area includes the entire state of North Carolina, so when the President moved to Winston-Salem, programs were designed to meet needs of females in this arena. Our primary project is MENTOR  (Mentoring, Education, Nurturing, Training, Opportunities, and Responsibility), designed to assist unemployed and underemployed single mothers in attaining upward economic mobility. 

MENTOR is in its second year of identifying, assisting, and providing mentoring and support to unemployed and underemployed families in Forsyth County, North Carolina. MENTOR is a hands-on program that provides individuals who not only mentor, but also offer coaching, career development, goalsetting, community resources and other needed tools for working with families. 

Our goal is a holistic approach to empower families to compete in the world marketplace, creating opportunities for improving the economic status of families in Boston-Thurmond. Objectives are: Sufficient employment for unemployed/under-employed families; Enriched quality of life by identifying and supporting adequate education for heads of household; Improved ability to maintain household budgets through introducing budgeting/financial literacy skills; Basic needs; i.e. food, clothing, shelter; Utilizing technology in navigating through 21^st century society and culture; Proficiency in effective communication; and Enhanced personal leadership and empowerment skills. In our first full year, we expected that perhaps only one participant would become employed; one person would start work towards certification or a degree; and one family would move towards food security. We expected all families to utilize technology, become more proficient in effective communication, and develop better personal leadership and empowerment skills. 

In 2020, My FACE had planned to focus on education and employment, but with the negative impact of COVID-19, focus moved to assisting with basic needs, i.e., providing toiletries, cleaning supplies, clothing, food and utilities assistance to support mentees with challenges brought on by the pandemic. We also began offering leadership and empowerment trainings focused on communication, self-worth, loving the woman within, keeping the faith, remaining stable in a world of chaos, among other related topics, plus providing meals to some of our families most in need.

In 2021, several of the women have begun seeking higher education goals and are enrolled in certification and higher education courses. My FACE mentors have been supporting them with these goals. Our number of mentees has increased from 20 to 30 in the last six months.

For 2022, My FACE aims to expand its program to include more women, including Latina women in other neighborhoods, with the goal of working with 40 mentees. My FACE will also continue its leadership training to include conflict resolution, problem solving, parenting, financial planning, job readiness, community resources, leadership development, and relationship building. My FACE is continuing to look for an office space to bring those in the program together for these trainings and other gatherings.