Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Davis
Hi Jasmine, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My journey to advocating for youth and families has been nurtured all my life. As a child I was always regarded as a leader, and put into leadership positions as a teenager. In my late teenage years, I filled positions in my local and regional church communities; and within my first two years of undergrad, I became president of the young people’s department at my home church. In this position I was responsible for developing programming for youth and young adults ages 0-35! Quite an age gap… ha ha ha! But, it was my pleasure. I served in this position (and as vice president) for six years before moving to Boston, Massachusetts to continue my post-graduate degree, earning my Master’s at Boston University.
While completing my graduate degree, I was given the opportunity to work for Roxbury Youthworks Inc., a nonprofit in Roxbury, Massachusetts, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. I worked as a Youth Service Coordinator, helping young people (mostly young boys) and their famlies involved in the juvenile justice system. In this position I supported their re-engagement and re-entry into the community. I remained in this position for about four years, before I returned home to Ohio and was ultimately offered employment as a manager on duty at the North YMCA, which offered me the opportunity to again serve youth and their families in a different capacity within the organization.
Within a year of returning home, I was offered a position as the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative Coordinator with the Ohio Department of Youth Services. As the JDAI Coordinator for Ohio, I had the opportunity to now serve youth and families through supporting youth justice systems (including court and community organizations) across Ohio and nationwide.
After the most significant and life-changing event of my life (losing my father), I took a leap of faith and began PRETTY TALK! As a bonafide “daddy’s girl”, my father always empowered me to “go big”! I began PRETTY TALK because I realized I wanted to create a personalized experience in serving youth and families.
I’m grateful for each of these experiences because they continue to ignite my passion for serving youth and families.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely NOT! ha ha ha… As a young leader it was often difficult to navigate leading my peers and those who were much older than me. This produced significant challenges, but also nurtured wonderful collaboration, in my understanding of how to serve multiple generations. Some of the greatest lessons I learned include learning how to communicate by actively listening to hear what people are saying before responding, learning to appreciate the differences among multigenerational families and groups, and learning to develop programming and processes that effectively serve the needs of that wide-range of age groups I’ve been responsible to serve.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about PRETTY TALK LLC?
PRETTY TALK curates and cultivates brave conversations in communities. Whether I’m exclusively creating opportunities for youth or the adults who serve them, or collectively bringing to together for a conversation, I am committed to creating the spaces where everyone can feel heard. We specialize in partnering with organizations committed to positive youth development, family, and community engagement; and delivering personalized communication solutions to design and facilitate effective conversations. PRETTY TALK helps organizations to build their capacity for sustaining these conversations by offering strategic analysis, training, and recommendations for optimal impact and best practices. We empower youth and provide PRETTY TALK strategies to build relationships and change mindsets. Through this model we know organizations will be inspired and enabled to strengthen their collaborations with youth and families. I’m so blessed and grateful to do this for a living!
What matters most to you?
My greatest purpose in life is to encourage others! I believe no one was meant to walk in this life alone. If I can be a glimpse of hope and light in the life of others, even for a brief moment or during one conversation, I believe that can make a great difference in their lives. It certainly did for me 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.prettytalkllc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prettytalkllc?igsh=NmV6NzdzcTc4dTRk
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prettytalkllc?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@prettytalkllc?si=UGpzfbGg7Xyf0c6W
