Shanoah Washington: 2011 Honoree

Effervescent and charismatic, this confident California-born teen had an incredibly rough childhood that was plagued with gang violence. Thankfully, her grandmother decided to move herself and Shanoah to St. Petersburg, Fla., and enrolled her at the local Boys & Girls Club, providing her with guidance to reach her full potential. She has since contributed over 4500 hours of public service as a Jr. Leader, Teen Council Vice President and tutor for Project Learn. She was also voted the 2010 and 2011 Youth of the Year.

Through the club, Shanoah has used her spoken word and slam poetry to promote social consciousness and to help young people find their voice so they can heal and express their hopes and dreams. During one of her poetry classes, an 11 year old girl who had been abused, raped, molested and moved through the foster care system broke down to Shanoah saying she was fed up with life and wanted to give up and commit suicide. Reminded of her own childhood and remembering that she wished she had someone to turn to at that age, Shanoah was inspired to help this girl and others like her.

Recognizing a need for a supportive space for young girls, Shanoah created Sista2Sista, a mentoring program for girls that aims to motivate young women through the development of self-esteem, self-discipline, positive thinking and exercising their right to make correct choices. Their objective is for each girl to learn and develop leadership skills, social skills, effective communication skills and social development. Shanoah sees the girls every day and holds meetings with them twice a week, where they learn life skills, engage in artistic projects and listen to inspirational guest speakers. For more information on Sista2Sista, check out their here.