Melissa McLean Farrior, Teens 2 Queens founder, received a 2024 Nation of Neighbors℠ empowerment award and a $5,000 grant.
The idea for Teens 2 Queens started in Melissa’s home when she realized that she is the mom her four daughters’ friends come to for advice and support. She knew there were other girls in her community facing similar challenges and that those girls might not have someone to talk with at home.
Teens 2 Queens offers girls ages 11–17 a supportive community where they navigate shared challenges while growing their confidence and becoming empowered. They hold virtual rap sessions on Tuesday evenings where counselors and mentors listen to the girls as they share about their day and what is going on in their lives. The sessions provide the girls with a safe place to share anything they are concerned about.
Through these virtual meetings and in-person activities, Melissa said that Teens 2 Queens helps girls discover “The queens that they are. Knowing that regardless of their situation, circumstances, or environment, that they can be better than those things.”
This past summer, Teens 2 Queens held its first summer camp. Activities ranged from visiting a laundromat to learn how to do laundry to a presentation by a bank about managing and saving money. They also hosted a block party at a local housing development where they encouraged families to gather and get to know each other.
Melissa will use her Nation of Neighbors grant to expand Teens 2 Queens programming. She envisions using the funds to take older girls on college visits while also providing basic necessities for any girl in need. Melissa said, “It’s a big investment for us with our girls. These funds will help us pick up some of the pieces they need that they can’t get from home or anywhere else.”
Teens 2 Queens is a newer resource, not even a year old, but Melissa has big goals for the future. She hopes to expand the program to schools in her community and eventually take the program to other counties and cities beyond Willard, North Carolina. Melissa said, “We’re all in, mentally and physically, to keep them going, to better them as people. Not just as women but as people. And to teach them not to settle for less, so they can go and help someone else.”
