January 10, 2025 • 41 mins
Cleverly Changing Podcast - Episode 109 "Preparing Teens for Real-World Success"
Guest: Orlana Darkins Drewery
Episode Overview
In this empowering episode of the Cleverly Changing Podcast, we’re joined by Orlana Darkins Drewery, a media and marketing expert who has dedicated her career to helping young adults, nonprofit organizations, and churches amplify their messages and impact. Orlana is also the founder of The Shyne Network and The Shyne Awards, a premier event that celebrates the achievements of young people aged 13-24 from around the globe.
Together, we explore the vital topic of Preparing Teens for Real-World Success. Orlana shares practical strategies that parents, educators, and community leaders can use to help teens unlock their talents, build resilience, and thrive in today’s fast-changing world.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- How parents and teachers can nurture teens’ talents, even in challenging environments.
- The importance of starting career readiness conversations at home.
- Strategies to bridge the gap between parents and teens for stronger relationships.
- Inspiring stories from The Shyne Awards and how celebrating youth achievement can transform lives.
- Actionable tips for helping teens discover their passions and build real-world skills.
Key Questions Discussed
- What inspired Orlana to create The Shyne Network and The Shyne Awards?
- What are the biggest challenges teens face in preparing for the real world, and how can families support them?
- How can parents help teens explore career options and develop life skills at home?
- What are the best strategies for improving communication and trust between parents and teens?
- How can celebrating young people’s achievements empower communities and change lives?
About Orlana Darkins Drewery
Orlana is a dynamic leader with a passion for uplifting youth and creating platforms for positive change. Through her work with The Shyne Network, she has built a space where young people are celebrated for their talents, achievements, and contributions to their communities. Orlana’s work extends beyond awards, offering guidance and mentorship to help the next generation succeed.
Why You Should Listen
If you’re a parent, teacher, or community leader looking for actionable advice to support the teens in your life, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration. Orlana’s expertise in youth development, paired with her heartfelt stories from The Shyne Awards, will leave you motivated to make a difference.
How to Connect with Orlana Darkins Drewery
- Website: The Shyne Network
- Instagram: @TheShyneNetwork
- Facebook: The Shyne Network
- Website: OrlanaDarkinsDrewery
- Instagram:OrlanaDarkinsDrewery
Listener Challenge
Take one tip from today’s episode and put it into action! Whether it’s having a conversation with your teen about their career interests or finding a way to celebrate their achievements, small steps can lead to big results.
Stay Connected
Subscribe to the Cleverly Changing Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform, and leave us a review to let us know what you think!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to the Cleverly Changing podcast where
we empower parents to raiseconfident, well rounded
children. I'm Elle Cole, yourhost. And together, we'll
explore tips, strategies, andinspiring stories to help our
kids understand their uniquegifts and skills. Join us as we
(00:30):
navigate the journey ofparenting, fostering self
awareness and growth in ourlittle ones so they can thrive
as productive citizens. Let'sget started.
(00:53):
Hello, everyone. Welcome to theCleverly Changing podcast. I am
one of your hosts, Elle Cole. Iam a mom of twin girls that are
now 16 years old, and we are sograteful that you've joined us
for today's podcast. I have anamazing guest here with me
today, Orlana.
(01:15):
I'm gonna give her anopportunity to introduce herself
and share her background withyou, but I am just so thrilled
that she is gonna share a littlebit with us about the work that
she does. And I'm really excitedbecause if you are a parent and
you have teenagers, you knowthis is one of those interesting
(01:37):
stages. I love it because it'swhen you really get a chance to
see your children's personalityand who they're becoming. And
it's always wonderful when wehave people in the community who
are doing the work to buildconfidence in our team. So
without further ado, Orlanadarkens Drewery.
(01:58):
Did I say that right, Alana?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Perfect. Okay. Well, welcome. Thank you so much for
the opportunity to be here.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Well, welcome. We are just thrilled. Can you just give
us a little bit about yourbackground and what really
brought you to this work?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yes. So I am a, media, personality here in
Pittsburgh. I'm also a publicrelations professional, and I'm
an advocate for young people.And my husband and I, 16 years
ago, created the Shine AwardsFoundation. We spell Shine with
a y.
(02:36):
And we created the foundationbecause we felt that young
people, in the media,specifically, they are not
represented in a balanced way.And so we created this
organization mainly to host anevent that highlights their
achievements and celebratesyoung people, at a early age and
(03:01):
not waiting until they'readults.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Wow. Did you just wake up one day and say this is
something you wanted to do? Wasthere some inspiration? Or some
there's something happened thatsaid, you know what? I need to
do this right now.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
So the inspiration was actually my husband. So as I
mentioned, public relations. I'man event planner as well. And so
my background was mostly, youknow, in radio and I'm planning
these, you know, celebrityevents and VIP meet and greets
and award shows. And he, worksfor, a organization where he
(03:39):
serves as an advocate forvictims.
And at the time, he was mainlyhis concentration was schools.
So if you saw my husband at yourschool, that was not a good
thing. Something happened at theschool. So he's seeing all these
things happening. And for 2years, he kept saying, you're
planning all these events foradults.
(04:00):
Like, these kids need somethingfor their own. Be at the time,
that was not my world. I didn'tsee it. So what happened was he,
went to a school. He was on hisway to address we'll we'll say a
bad kid.
So he was on his way to addressa bad kid. And on his way to
(04:21):
address that situation, a goodstudent wanted his attention to
share something good. And hesaid, oh, I I don't have time
for you right now. I have toaddress the other person. And so
the good student says, you know,I was thinking about committing
a crime because my cousin didand they hooked him up with an
(04:45):
apartment.
They got him a job, and everyweekend, they take them to a
baseball game. And my husband,like, he said it that just hit
him like a ton of bricks. Like,oh my gosh. Like, crime does
pay. Like, we're actuallyrewarding negative activity.
(05:06):
So when that happened to him,and, unfortunately, it it did
take me, like, 2 years, but hewas just like, we need to do
something with kids. You know?They're they're not being,
they're not being, awarded forthe good things that they're
doing. Even statistically, youknow, it'll say 2 out of 5 young
(05:27):
girls will get pregnant. Well,he's like, what's the other 3
doing?
Like, we put much attention onthe negative. So I'm not sure
how much time we have, but veryquickly. Eventually, I landed a
contract with the university.The university had a college
prep program. And in the collegeprep program, there were really
(05:48):
good students and we had somestudents that entered in who
were struggling, like almostnear, like, expulsion.
But they came through theprogram and towards the end of
their participation, these kidswere graduating with like
3.54.0. And for me, I'm like,where's the fanfare? So for me,
that was my eye opener of, wow,we are not celebrating our kids
(06:15):
unless we're not payingattention to our kids unless
something bad happens. And soonce I saw that for myself, that
was the additional fire I neededto say, okay. As an event
planner, as a public relationsperson, like, we gotta do
something.
So July 2007, the first ShineAwards was born. Really,
(06:42):
honestly, we are only planningon doing it one time just to
prove a point. Young people areout here doing great things, but
here we are. We're entering our16th year and celebrating not
only young people in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, but all over the
world.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Wow. That is amazing. So there are two phrases that
really stood out in my mindabout what you were sharing. One
of those phrases is positivereinforcement. Our children
often see the news, and they seea lot of the bad and negative
(07:19):
things plastered across thescreen going viral on social
media.
But when teens are doing well,sometimes the light is more dim.
And so the other phrase iscelebrate the good. And we have
to celebrate our kids while wehave them. And I love that you
(07:43):
put your passion together. Soyou were great at public
relations.
Your husband had this passionfor youth, even though it was
heavy on those who weren't doingright within the system. And
it's just amazing that your lovefor your husband allowed you to
put that action into place andcreate something for the youth.
(08:07):
It definitely is needed. And thefact that you've been doing it
for 16 years shows that in thecommunity is really resonating
with those that you reach andyou touch. So kudos to you and
your husband for for seeing thatneed.
And I think for young people,you know, the fact that the
(08:27):
young person was able to speakup, what if they hadn't? What if
they had just, you know, keptthat inside and then committed
the crime? You know, I think,you know, there's a lot of
amazing joy and confidence foryouth to speak up when
especially when they don't knowthat person. That teen didn't
(08:48):
have an intimate relationshipwith your husband, like, knowing
him by name, but he said he orshe said something, and it
caused an impact, a change inour community. And I think
that's pretty crucial.
And our teens do needmentorship. They do need to be
recognized. So I know thatyou've talked a lot about the
(09:11):
work that your husband does. Butcan you kind of unlock? What are
you seeing as you engage withthe different teams as you
create this platform for them?
What are you seeing that parentsshould kind of be aware of, that
educators should be aware of tohelp unlock their talents and
(09:33):
really get them in touch withtheir environments in a positive
way.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Well, you mentioned one of them, and that is to
create safe spaces. So byoffering consistent
encouragement, these safespaces, they really make teams
feel not only valued, but heard.And they feel a sense of
security to share, like yousaid. And in doing so, even for
(10:02):
them, like it sparked the ideafor us. But for them, it can
also open avenues for them tofeel comfortable of fueling
their own creativity and theirexploration.
One of the things we found withthe Shine Awards Foundation,
even if a if a teen has just anidea of maybe, you know, they
(10:24):
want to create their ownnonprofit. Okay, great. We're
not going to say, you're tooyoung to do that. No, we connect
them to, a professional who hasa successful nonprofit and maybe
set up a day for shadowing ormaybe it's a zoom call on what
are next steps? How do you buildat your age?
What are the steps you take tobuild your nonprofit? Also
(10:48):
parents, educators, this is agood time in their teen years to
show support for theirinterests. So whether it's
sports, arts, science,volunteering, but you taking
time to invest time andresources to nurture their
passions. Sometimes it really isall about them knowing someone
(11:11):
believes in them. One of thethings that one of our teams
said to us that impacted usearly on, well, it was actually
2 things.
So one, she says she was a teenthat was kind of on the brink of
making the decision on whatpathway she was going to take.
She wrote us a letter, pathwayshe was gonna take. She wrote us
a letter, and she said that hergrandmother dragged her to the
(11:35):
Shine Awards. And she said 2things. 1, she saw other people
like her.
So apparently, I guess she wasreally good in, in academics but
was being teased. So she said, Isaw other people like me, but
the part that really impacted uswas that she felt empowered to
(11:57):
continue to be good in heracademics publicly because of
the power she felt of otherpeople believing in her even
though she didn't know them. Sowhether it's someone that the
teenager knows, their parenteducator, the connection to a
(12:17):
mentor, a professional,shadowing opportunity for them
to see that the world is biggerand there's other people rooting
for them, I think that goes along way.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Wow. You know, sometimes when our kids are
doing the right thing and on theright path, it's not enough. You
know? Just hearing her say thatseeing other students who were
doing well academically,academically sound and, you
(12:49):
know, interactive in a positiveway, seeing them just reinforce
that good behavior and thatpositivity. And I think that's
something that we as adultssometimes take for granted.
Like, oh, that child is alreadydoing what they're supposed to.
So we just automatically assumethat they're gonna be on the
right track from here on out.Even though I think we can
(13:13):
probably look back in our ownbackgrounds and remember having
some classmates who were doingwell at some point and then
veered off the path. And so Ithink that is something that we
constantly have to be mindfulof. That if we don't put our
kids in spaces where they cansee other people like them
(13:34):
thriving, that can be a misstepon our part.
So I love that she was able toshare that, and I'm grateful to
hear that her grandparent, youknow, took her to that award
ceremony because, you know,there is that African proverb
that we've heard time and timeagain that says, it takes a
(13:56):
village. And I think as we getmore and more into being a
technical society, we kind offeel like digital can do it all,
that we don't necessarily needreal people in our in our space
to really make a positive impacton us, but it's more so helpful
(14:16):
now than ever before that realpeople in our family's lives and
our kids' lives really show thatthey matter to them in a real
tangible reality way and notjust, you know, liking a post or
sending a text, but doingsomething that can really help
(14:37):
them thrive. And that's whatreally kinda stands out to me
about what you said. And eventhough it wasn't necessarily a
formal mentorship relationship,there were positive moments and
pockets that that team was ableto take from that experience and
allow it to help propel her intothe future. So that's really
(14:58):
telling.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
I wanna say to something you said about, you
know, as adults, sometimes wetake for granted, like, oh, you
know, the student is supposed todo that or they're doing well
and they're they'll continue todo well. When we first started
the Shine Awards, we thought itwould be easy to have teachers
and parents nominate youngpeople they saw doing well. And
(15:22):
it really was hard. And the thenumber one thing that we kept
getting as as a response was,well, they're supposed to do
that. Like they're supposed togo to school.
They're supposed to. And thatwas for us, like not only
surprising, but a littleheartbreaking because as adults,
we want to be recognized for ourwork and we want raises and
(15:47):
promotions, but our kids, oh,they're supposed to go to
school, do well in school,whatever. So the fact that you
said that that just brought backto our my memory of the early
years, how we thought, like, ofcourse, parents are going to
want to nominate their kids. Butwe had that kind of that wall
of, well, they're supposed to dothat. The other thing I do want
(16:08):
to say, too, that you kind oftalked about was celebrating
their wins and that we also seetoo that, you know, we shouldn't
have to wait to win the goal orthe project that they're working
on is complete to celebratethem.
Maybe celebrate the journey tothe win. So maybe acknowledge
their efforts, by saying, youknow, I'm proud of how you stuck
(16:31):
with that project, or I love howyou, are not giving up and
you're still auditioning forthat role. Just to to
acknowledge, like, you see themdoing the work, not necessarily
celebrating the outcome.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Wow. That's pretty deep. And when you were just
sharing, what came to my mind iswe see parents talking a lot
about self care for themselvesand kind of trying to make sure
they're meeting their own needs,but we don't necessarily have
that same sort of push to dothat for our teens. And, yes,
(17:10):
self care is completelydifferent, but we do hear the
words gratitude in our society alot. And this is a moment where
we can express that gratitudefor our teens.
And what hurt does it do to say,hey. You're on the right track,
and I see that. I see you in themoment. And there are so many
(17:34):
different things that our teensare faced with, so we shouldn't
just say, oh, they're just doingwhat they're supposed to do
because there are so many thingsthat can cause distractions that
really knock them off the pathof success. So the fact that,
you know I'm not so shocked tohear that it was hard at first
(17:57):
because I think, you know, wewe've just kind of been
conditioned to overlook somethings that may be really
important to our teens.
So I know that the Shine Awardsdoes highlight the teens, but is
there a career readiness aspectof it that, and if so, can you
(18:17):
describe what that looks like?
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Yes. So the Shine Awards is the actual, award
ceremony. The Shine AwardsFoundation, is the umbrella
organization, and year round, weprovide programming and
resources for young peoplebetween the ages of 13 and 24.
So that can come in the form of,exposing them to cultural
(18:42):
events. Here in Pittsburgh, wehave a whole cultural district
that we found out a lot of ouryoung people haven't even
experienced going into some ofour grand halls.
So we'll make sure they areexposed to shows that they're
interested in, but that they cansay, you know, I went to Hines
Hall or I was I was inside theBenedum Center. So we do that.
(19:04):
As I mentioned earlier, we doconnect them to, other
professionals. Now we don'tforce a mentor mentorship
relationship. We feel like thatshould happen organically if
there's some chemistry betweenthe 2.
But we will expose young peopleto a professional in the area
that they're interested in. Andif possible, depending on the
(19:26):
industry, create a day that theycan watch that person work.
Sometimes it's kinda cooldepending on what the job is.
They're able to have them helpthem, in in some capacity. So if
it's a restaurant, maybethey're, like, a junior shoe
chef, at that time or somethinglike that.
So we do that, and then we'vealso we host workshops. We also
(19:51):
do virtual events where they'llhave an opportunity to ask
celebrities that they knowquestions. So it's a variety of
ways that we, try that we workto reach the teens, because one
way might not attract it's likeso, for example, like, at the
(20:13):
celebrity event might be moreimpactful to one teen, versus
maybe the shadowing. So we tryto kinda offer different ways
to, get their attention. Eventhe cultural events will have
other professionals there asadditional chaperones, and
there's opportunities for themto connect and kinda share what
they do there.
So where it's not such astructured environment, but
(20:35):
we're communicating and offeringresources and information.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Mentors or different chaperones who, you know, may
not be that predominant parent,like, the same sex as the
predominant parent in the home,then, you know, that sort of
interaction can really just besomething that is very sometimes
(21:17):
our teens, are seen as peoplewho deflect from authority, but
you're giving them anopportunity to really connect
with authority figures but in aless intimidating way so it's
comfortable. That is huge. Howdid you come up with the concept
(21:37):
that, you know, it would reallymake a difference? I know, you
know, it could take a casestudy, but it seems like the
thought kind of, cameorganically. Is that what
happened?
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Yeah. It it it did. It the whole everything about
this was organic. Nothing wasplanned. But our way of
connecting young people withprofessionals that came from an
issue in our city, they decidedto put some high schools
downtown.
(22:11):
And from that, there were someissues that just came out of
that young people downtown,professionals, people who live
downtown, just that whole mix ofpopulation. So, my husband and I
again, watching the news, seeingthis being a big story because,
again, it's it's it's the anglewas that the kids were cause
(22:31):
causing all these problems, butthat really wasn't the case.
But, anyway, since that was theangle, we offer like, you know,
we wanna step in and help. Weended up, meeting with the
administrators of the schoolsthat who were downtown, and, we
decided to create, a shine awardstudent board. And so each
(22:54):
school selected representatives,to be on the board.
And that's kind of how itstarted. Like we were getting
their feedback and hearing theirconcerns and finding out really
what was happening. And fromthat pool of kids is them saying
to us, we don't have access toprofessionals. Like there were
(23:14):
people that wanted to join themilitary. Like, where do I find
this person?
There were, a girl that wantedto be a model. Okay. We know
several models, like, so that'show it started. And then from
that point, it just kind of grewwhere. Whether it's on Facebook
or, you know, we do some kind ofpartnership with churches, we
would just say, Hey, we havetickets to an event or we're
(23:37):
going to do this.
But on on the back end, we'relike, okay, we need these 5
adults because it's going to bethis kind of a event or these
kind of kids, you know, justkind of be prepared, to how
you're gonna handle yourinteraction. And I think also
what makes it successful for ustoo, is that we don't show up
(23:58):
with a speech. Like we're nottrying to present, we just kind
of hang back and let them talkto us. Unless they have a
specific question, we'll answerit. But for the most part, we're
just kinda hanging out, lettingthem talk.
And, what has happened with thatis sometimes they'll ask for
contact information. Instagramis great because a lot of our
(24:21):
adults are on Instagram and soare the kids. So that's a good
kind of platform. So when ouradults are like, oh, you could
follow me on Instagram. It'sinstantly they got cool points.
Like, oh, you're on IG. Youknow? So, but that's kinda how
that's how it started with thisstudent advisory board, and they
(24:41):
really helped us with thefoundation of building out how
we would communicate movingforward with young people.
Hopefully, that wasn't a longanswer.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
It's totally fine. I think it's perfect. You know,
just hearing you talk, it mademe think about, growing up as a
kid. And for me, I grew up inthe church, and there were many
different types ofprofessionals. But now I feel
like kids aren't necessarilyexposed to a a system like a
(25:13):
church where they're doingevents, and they have to
interact with different peoplewho are different professions of
all different ages becausethere's a intergenerational
piece to it as well.
Like, growing up, we had aintergenerational choir. And,
yes, in some cases, those thingsstill exist, but a lot of our
teens don't necessarily havethat. And it seems like you're
(25:36):
creating an environment that cankind of parallel that experience
in many ways. And so that isvery important
Speaker 2 (25:45):
because I know over the 16 years,
Speaker 1 (25:45):
you've had to have seen 16 years, you've had to
have seen children becomeprofessionals that you once
worked with. Can you kind ofshare some of those highlights
and how that has kind of justmade you feel?
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Yes. It makes us feel very proud, to see them just now
we met them as teens, and nowthey're these, you know,
successful adults. One of oursuccess stories, one of our she
actually was a Shine Awardsnominee. She didn't win a Shine
Awards, but, her expression ofhow important it was to her to
(26:27):
even be nominated. But she's,one of the news anchors on our
on our one of our news stations.
So proud of her. We have a younglady who was our trophy
presenter. She's now a model inCalifornia. We have, we have,
(26:48):
one of our honorees who went onto work at the White House. My
husband is also a reverend.
So he married I think it's been2 years ago now. He married 2 of
our Shine Award honorees. So wecall them our 1st Shine family.
They just also had a son, sohe's our official Shine baby. So
(27:11):
we've married Shine people.
We've had we have authors,nonprofit founders, but, yes, it
is so great to see, oh, I justmet 2 the other day. 1 works at
a theater in our city. Anotherone is I think he's a oh, he's a
(27:34):
performer. He's a songwriter.Like, there's so much like, it's
so great.
But what makes us so proud isthat they say the Shine Awards
gave them that boost theconfidence where they thought no
one was seeing them. And thennot only to be seen, but to be
celebrated on such a publicplatform gave them the
confidence to do more. Just onequick example. In our early
(27:58):
years, we had, a young person.She was, again, great
academically.
But she shared with us, eventhough she was a success in high
school, she didn't think she wascollege material. She ended up
being nominated. She ended upwinning the shine awards because
she won an award that gave herthe confidence to apply for
(28:19):
college. She ended up graduatingcollege and now she's in her
PhD. So so even if your childdoesn't win a shine award or any
award, I think just us, whetheryou are a parent, an educator, a
aunt, a cousin, just making sureteenagers, like, I see you.
(28:40):
Like, I saw you got an a or, Idon't know. Like, I saw that I
see you're you're a really hardstudier. Like, you're you love
to read. You enjoy taking walks.Like, anything that that shows
them what they're doing is good,and they're getting these little
dopamine boost boost of,confidence from people in their
village.
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undefined
Speaker 1 (29:55):
to learn more. I just have to pause right here and
tell those who are listeningthat I know you can't see our
guest, Erlana, but she has justlit up the room with her smile
as she talks about her youth andthe Shine Awards. Just hearing
you talk and, you know, namewhat the the students are doing
(30:21):
now, it's like, you know,there's a sense of ownership, a
sense of joy, a happiness thatis so beautiful just hearing you
talk about that. And I and I Ijust had to highlight that for
those who can't see you becauseit's truly, truly beautiful. And
I think, you know, for thosewho, you know, not, you know,
(30:45):
they may not actually, you know,have an opportunity to
participate in the Shine Awards.
But I think just hearing aboutwhat you're doing, hopefully,
this can definitely, you know,light a spark in other people to
take an interest in the youth intheir community. If something
doesn't exist like the shineawards, they can definitely, you
(31:08):
know, take a page from yourbook. So right now, if you could
just speak to somebody who islistening, they feel inspired by
what you're sharing, just givethem a few words of
encouragement.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
I would say, well, if you're a parent, do you mean?
Sure. Okay. So if you're aparent, if you're educator, if
you're an auntie, a cousin, andyou have you have some exposure
to young people, I would sayinstantly, because I think as
adults, we're conditioned togive advice, especially if your
(31:46):
family. But instead of advice,maybe switch your brain to
encouragement.
So whether it's I love theoutfit you put together today,
or I heard that you wrote a newsong today or whatever that is,
instead of a criticism oradvice, Switch your brain to a
(32:09):
compliment of something that youknow, or that you heard that
they've done. And it really goesa long way, especially if your
family, if you're a parent, ifyou're a teacher, yes, it has
impact. But if you're a familymember of a young person,
compliments go a long way.Teenagers love to be where
(32:30):
they're celebrated. And so ifyou are that person they're
drawn to because you representlight, you always have some word
of encouragement, a compliment.
They will come to you, see youas a safe space, and all you're
doing is planting a seed for ayoung person to flourish later
on.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Incredible. Thank you so much for sharing that. And
for those who, do you do youhave to be in the Pittsburgh
area to participate in the SHINEAwards? Can you kinda share how
people can support you and getinvolved?
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Yes. So it started off as a local initiative, but
we are now a national event. Soit is the Shine Awards. We spell
shine with a y. And if you knowof a young person between the
ages of 13 and 24, you cannominate them, in one or more of
the 9 categories that's on thewebsite.
(33:30):
We are in nomination season nowand nominations in the last day
in March. The Shine Awards isthe 1st Sunday in August. So
this year it will be Sunday,August 3rd, and it's at the
beautiful Pittsburgh Playhouse.If you are not from Pittsburgh,
(33:50):
we would love to have you comein. So far, we've had, out of
towners come to our city to be apart of Shine Awards.
Sometimes, out of towners cannotshow up just due to other
academic, what's
Speaker 1 (34:07):
the problem?
Speaker 2 (34:08):
There you go. So, if you are not from Pittsburgh and
your child wins, we do have itwhere they can do a video and we
show it at the, event. And thenwe just ship out your child's
all the winnings, that theyreceive, from being a shine
honoree. But organically, overthe years, the teenagers have
(34:32):
dubbed it the Grammys for teensbecause it's very flashy, and we
literally treat the young peopleas stars as they are.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Super. Super. I wanna just say your, your website once
again, and we'll definitely havethis information in our show
notes, the shineawards.com. Soshine does have a y and not an I
and definitely visitcleverlychanging.com to see the
show notes. So this is justsuper incredible.
(35:05):
I am so proud of you and yourorganization for all that you're
doing in the community. I thinkit's making a huge impact, and,
you know, I wish you many, manyyears to come. If somebody is
you know, they're not able toparticipate, but they wanna
donate, do you take donations onyour site?
Speaker 2 (35:25):
Oh, yes. And we love and appreciate donations. So,
again, the website is actuallythe shineawardsdot dotorg. And
we do spell shine with the y.But, yes, if you do not have, a
child to nominate and you just,feel like this is an
organization you would like tosupport, we definitely would
(35:46):
appreciate it.
And, again, the shine awards dotwork.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Awesome. Awesome. And thank you. I'll I definitely
corrected my notes so I can putit up there correctly. But this
is terrific.
How can people stay connectedwith you, and what you're doing?
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Yes. So I'm on all platforms. So the Shine Awards
is actually on every platform,TikTok, IG, Facebook, x. And
then I'm also on every platformas well. So Orlana Darkins
Drewery.
I use my whole name. I should beeasy to find, but I'm on
(36:25):
LinkedIn, IG, Facebook x, alleverything. But IG is my
favorite. So if you reach out tome there, you'll probably get a
faster response.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Awesome. Awesome. I definitely know how that goes.
So that is terrific. I wannajust before we kind of wind
down, I wanted to share just acouple points that really stood
out to me about what you said.
Number 1 is create safe spacesfor our teams so that they can
feel valued and heard. Number 2,mentorship is powerful. Listen
(37:03):
to teams, support theirinterest, and nurture them.
Number 3, exposure to thingsgreater than them can have an
impact. Number 4, instead ofadvice, give encouragement or a
compliment.
And number 5, try to berelatable. Meet teens where they
(37:23):
are. So those are just fivethings that you touched on in
today's conversation that Ithink parents can kind of
parents and educators, whoeveris working with teens, can take
with them to, you know, reallymake an impact in the youth's
lives that they are interactingwith. Are there any books, that
(37:44):
you would recommend or anysomething, like, something
additional that you wouldrecommend that, people kind of
look into if they are interestedand and want to work with teens
but don't necessarily know howto get started?
Speaker 2 (38:00):
I don't have a book recommendation, but I have a
activity idea, that, we did withanother organization. And I
don't I don't remember the nameof it, but basically because
most people, especially teens,are visuals. They're very
(38:20):
visual. So if a teacher or aparent sees a young person doing
good, whether that is they therewas a piece of paper in the
hallway and they picked it upand threw it away or whatever,
that you walk up to that personand say, you know, something
(38:41):
like, I see you. And maybethere's a visual board where
there's a star or they get asticker or something for that
act of kindness or selflessnessor whatever that is.
But I just, I'm really big onjust in that moment.
(39:01):
Acknowledging good. And maybejust because again, teenagers
are very visual, some type ofvisual, so a sticker, a gift
card, something to kindasolidify the win.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
Yes. And that gift card, no teen will turn down a
gift card.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
No. No adult's gonna turn one down.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Give them something they can use. I think I think
that is powerful and justbeautiful. As we close, I have a
couple quick rapid firequestions that I wanna ask you.
Okay. And it's more of a this orthat sort of thing.
I'm gonna say, 2 things, andyou're just gonna answer with
the one that you like the most.So pizza or steak? Pizza. Book
(39:49):
or ebook? Book.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Coffee or tea? Coffee.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
Cell or landline? Cell. Computer or tablet?
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Computer.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
Podcast or radio? Podcast.
Speaker 2 (40:08):
Cake or pie? Cake.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
Alright. That was it. Very easy. Very easy. But it
just gives us a little insight.
I appreciated today's talk, andI know our listeners have as
well. Again, say your websiteone more time for everybody as
we close.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Yes. It's the shine awards dot org. We spell shine
with a y.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Awesome. Incredible, everybody. Definitely show some
support. Give, donate. Let thisorganization know that the work
that they're doing in ourcommunity matters.
So thank you so much for yourtime and for being here. Thank
you for tuning into the CleverlyChanging podcast. We hope you
(40:54):
found valuable insights to helpnourish your child's confidence
and sense of self. Remember,every small step you take today
shapes the leaders of tomorrow.If you enjoyed this episode,
please subscribe, leave areview, and share it with other
parents in your community.
(41:16):
Until next time, keep changingthe world one clever child at a
time.
Welcome to the Cleverly Changing podcast where
we empower parents to raiseconfident, well rounded
children. I'm Elle Cole, yourhost. And together, we'll
explore tips, strategies, andinspiring stories to help our
kids understand their uniquegifts and skills. Join us as we
(00:30):
navigate the journey ofparenting, fostering self
awareness and growth in ourlittle ones so they can thrive
as productive citizens. Let'sget started.
(00:53):
Hello, everyone. Welcome to theCleverly Changing podcast. I am
one of your hosts, Elle Cole. Iam a mom of twin girls that are
now 16 years old, and we are sograteful that you've joined us
for today's podcast. I have anamazing guest here with me
today, Orlana.
(01:15):
I'm gonna give her anopportunity to introduce herself
and share her background withyou, but I am just so thrilled
that she is gonna share a littlebit with us about the work that
she does. And I'm really excitedbecause if you are a parent and
you have teenagers, you knowthis is one of those interesting
(01:37):
stages. I love it because it'swhen you really get a chance to
see your children's personalityand who they're becoming. And
it's always wonderful when wehave people in the community who
are doing the work to buildconfidence in our team. So
without further ado, Orlanadarkens Drewery.
(01:58):
Did I say that right, Alana?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Perfect. Okay. Well, welcome. Thank you so much for
the opportunity to be here.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Well, welcome. We are just thrilled. Can you just give
us a little bit about yourbackground and what really
brought you to this work?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yes. So I am a, media, personality here in
Pittsburgh. I'm also a publicrelations professional, and I'm
an advocate for young people.And my husband and I, 16 years
ago, created the Shine AwardsFoundation. We spell Shine with
a y.
(02:36):
And we created the foundationbecause we felt that young
people, in the media,specifically, they are not
represented in a balanced way.And so we created this
organization mainly to host anevent that highlights their
achievements and celebratesyoung people, at a early age and
(03:01):
not waiting until they'readults.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Wow. Did you just wake up one day and say this is
something you wanted to do? Wasthere some inspiration? Or some
there's something happened thatsaid, you know what? I need to
do this right now.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
So the inspiration was actually my husband. So as I
mentioned, public relations. I'man event planner as well. And so
my background was mostly, youknow, in radio and I'm planning
these, you know, celebrityevents and VIP meet and greets
and award shows. And he, worksfor, a organization where he
(03:39):
serves as an advocate forvictims.
And at the time, he was mainlyhis concentration was schools.
So if you saw my husband at yourschool, that was not a good
thing. Something happened at theschool. So he's seeing all these
things happening. And for 2years, he kept saying, you're
planning all these events foradults.
(04:00):
Like, these kids need somethingfor their own. Be at the time,
that was not my world. I didn'tsee it. So what happened was he,
went to a school. He was on hisway to address we'll we'll say a
bad kid.
So he was on his way to addressa bad kid. And on his way to
(04:21):
address that situation, a goodstudent wanted his attention to
share something good. And hesaid, oh, I I don't have time
for you right now. I have toaddress the other person. And so
the good student says, you know,I was thinking about committing
a crime because my cousin didand they hooked him up with an
(04:45):
apartment.
They got him a job, and everyweekend, they take them to a
baseball game. And my husband,like, he said it that just hit
him like a ton of bricks. Like,oh my gosh. Like, crime does
pay. Like, we're actuallyrewarding negative activity.
(05:06):
So when that happened to him,and, unfortunately, it it did
take me, like, 2 years, but hewas just like, we need to do
something with kids. You know?They're they're not being,
they're not being, awarded forthe good things that they're
doing. Even statistically, youknow, it'll say 2 out of 5 young
(05:27):
girls will get pregnant. Well,he's like, what's the other 3
doing?
Like, we put much attention onthe negative. So I'm not sure
how much time we have, but veryquickly. Eventually, I landed a
contract with the university.The university had a college
prep program. And in the collegeprep program, there were really
(05:48):
good students and we had somestudents that entered in who
were struggling, like almostnear, like, expulsion.
But they came through theprogram and towards the end of
their participation, these kidswere graduating with like
3.54.0. And for me, I'm like,where's the fanfare? So for me,
that was my eye opener of, wow,we are not celebrating our kids
(06:15):
unless we're not payingattention to our kids unless
something bad happens. And soonce I saw that for myself, that
was the additional fire I neededto say, okay. As an event
planner, as a public relationsperson, like, we gotta do
something.
So July 2007, the first ShineAwards was born. Really,
(06:42):
honestly, we are only planningon doing it one time just to
prove a point. Young people areout here doing great things, but
here we are. We're entering our16th year and celebrating not
only young people in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, but all over the
world.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Wow. That is amazing. So there are two phrases that
really stood out in my mindabout what you were sharing. One
of those phrases is positivereinforcement. Our children
often see the news, and they seea lot of the bad and negative
(07:19):
things plastered across thescreen going viral on social
media.
But when teens are doing well,sometimes the light is more dim.
And so the other phrase iscelebrate the good. And we have
to celebrate our kids while wehave them. And I love that you
(07:43):
put your passion together. Soyou were great at public
relations.
Your husband had this passionfor youth, even though it was
heavy on those who weren't doingright within the system. And
it's just amazing that your lovefor your husband allowed you to
put that action into place andcreate something for the youth.
(08:07):
It definitely is needed. And thefact that you've been doing it
for 16 years shows that in thecommunity is really resonating
with those that you reach andyou touch. So kudos to you and
your husband for for seeing thatneed.
And I think for young people,you know, the fact that the
(08:27):
young person was able to speakup, what if they hadn't? What if
they had just, you know, keptthat inside and then committed
the crime? You know, I think,you know, there's a lot of
amazing joy and confidence foryouth to speak up when
especially when they don't knowthat person. That teen didn't
(08:48):
have an intimate relationshipwith your husband, like, knowing
him by name, but he said he orshe said something, and it
caused an impact, a change inour community. And I think
that's pretty crucial.
And our teens do needmentorship. They do need to be
recognized. So I know thatyou've talked a lot about the
(09:11):
work that your husband does. Butcan you kind of unlock? What are
you seeing as you engage withthe different teams as you
create this platform for them?
What are you seeing that parentsshould kind of be aware of, that
educators should be aware of tohelp unlock their talents and
(09:33):
really get them in touch withtheir environments in a positive
way.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Well, you mentioned one of them, and that is to
create safe spaces. So byoffering consistent
encouragement, these safespaces, they really make teams
feel not only valued, but heard.And they feel a sense of
security to share, like yousaid. And in doing so, even for
(10:02):
them, like it sparked the ideafor us. But for them, it can
also open avenues for them tofeel comfortable of fueling
their own creativity and theirexploration.
One of the things we found withthe Shine Awards Foundation,
even if a if a teen has just anidea of maybe, you know, they
(10:24):
want to create their ownnonprofit. Okay, great. We're
not going to say, you're tooyoung to do that. No, we connect
them to, a professional who hasa successful nonprofit and maybe
set up a day for shadowing ormaybe it's a zoom call on what
are next steps? How do you buildat your age?
What are the steps you take tobuild your nonprofit? Also
(10:48):
parents, educators, this is agood time in their teen years to
show support for theirinterests. So whether it's
sports, arts, science,volunteering, but you taking
time to invest time andresources to nurture their
passions. Sometimes it really isall about them knowing someone
(11:11):
believes in them. One of thethings that one of our teams
said to us that impacted usearly on, well, it was actually
2 things.
So one, she says she was a teenthat was kind of on the brink of
making the decision on whatpathway she was going to take.
She wrote us a letter, pathwayshe was gonna take. She wrote us
a letter, and she said that hergrandmother dragged her to the
(11:35):
Shine Awards. And she said 2things. 1, she saw other people
like her.
So apparently, I guess she wasreally good in, in academics but
was being teased. So she said, Isaw other people like me, but
the part that really impacted uswas that she felt empowered to
(11:57):
continue to be good in heracademics publicly because of
the power she felt of otherpeople believing in her even
though she didn't know them. Sowhether it's someone that the
teenager knows, their parenteducator, the connection to a
(12:17):
mentor, a professional,shadowing opportunity for them
to see that the world is biggerand there's other people rooting
for them, I think that goes along way.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Wow. You know, sometimes when our kids are
doing the right thing and on theright path, it's not enough. You
know? Just hearing her say thatseeing other students who were
doing well academically,academically sound and, you
(12:49):
know, interactive in a positiveway, seeing them just reinforce
that good behavior and thatpositivity. And I think that's
something that we as adultssometimes take for granted.
Like, oh, that child is alreadydoing what they're supposed to.
So we just automatically assumethat they're gonna be on the
right track from here on out.Even though I think we can
(13:13):
probably look back in our ownbackgrounds and remember having
some classmates who were doingwell at some point and then
veered off the path. And so Ithink that is something that we
constantly have to be mindfulof. That if we don't put our
kids in spaces where they cansee other people like them
(13:34):
thriving, that can be a misstepon our part.
So I love that she was able toshare that, and I'm grateful to
hear that her grandparent, youknow, took her to that award
ceremony because, you know,there is that African proverb
that we've heard time and timeagain that says, it takes a
(13:56):
village. And I think as we getmore and more into being a
technical society, we kind offeel like digital can do it all,
that we don't necessarily needreal people in our in our space
to really make a positive impacton us, but it's more so helpful
(14:16):
now than ever before that realpeople in our family's lives and
our kids' lives really show thatthey matter to them in a real
tangible reality way and notjust, you know, liking a post or
sending a text, but doingsomething that can really help
(14:37):
them thrive. And that's whatreally kinda stands out to me
about what you said. And eventhough it wasn't necessarily a
formal mentorship relationship,there were positive moments and
pockets that that team was ableto take from that experience and
allow it to help propel her intothe future. So that's really
(14:58):
telling.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
I wanna say to something you said about, you
know, as adults, sometimes wetake for granted, like, oh, you
know, the student is supposed todo that or they're doing well
and they're they'll continue todo well. When we first started
the Shine Awards, we thought itwould be easy to have teachers
and parents nominate youngpeople they saw doing well. And
(15:22):
it really was hard. And the thenumber one thing that we kept
getting as as a response was,well, they're supposed to do
that. Like they're supposed togo to school.
They're supposed to. And thatwas for us, like not only
surprising, but a littleheartbreaking because as adults,
we want to be recognized for ourwork and we want raises and
(15:47):
promotions, but our kids, oh,they're supposed to go to
school, do well in school,whatever. So the fact that you
said that that just brought backto our my memory of the early
years, how we thought, like, ofcourse, parents are going to
want to nominate their kids. Butwe had that kind of that wall
of, well, they're supposed to dothat. The other thing I do want
(16:08):
to say, too, that you kind oftalked about was celebrating
their wins and that we also seetoo that, you know, we shouldn't
have to wait to win the goal orthe project that they're working
on is complete to celebratethem.
Maybe celebrate the journey tothe win. So maybe acknowledge
their efforts, by saying, youknow, I'm proud of how you stuck
(16:31):
with that project, or I love howyou, are not giving up and
you're still auditioning forthat role. Just to to
acknowledge, like, you see themdoing the work, not necessarily
celebrating the outcome.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Wow. That's pretty deep. And when you were just
sharing, what came to my mind iswe see parents talking a lot
about self care for themselvesand kind of trying to make sure
they're meeting their own needs,but we don't necessarily have
that same sort of push to dothat for our teens. And, yes,
(17:10):
self care is completelydifferent, but we do hear the
words gratitude in our society alot. And this is a moment where
we can express that gratitudefor our teens.
And what hurt does it do to say,hey. You're on the right track,
and I see that. I see you in themoment. And there are so many
(17:34):
different things that our teensare faced with, so we shouldn't
just say, oh, they're just doingwhat they're supposed to do
because there are so many thingsthat can cause distractions that
really knock them off the pathof success. So the fact that,
you know I'm not so shocked tohear that it was hard at first
(17:57):
because I think, you know, wewe've just kind of been
conditioned to overlook somethings that may be really
important to our teens.
So I know that the Shine Awardsdoes highlight the teens, but is
there a career readiness aspectof it that, and if so, can you
(18:17):
describe what that looks like?
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Yes. So the Shine Awards is the actual, award
ceremony. The Shine AwardsFoundation, is the umbrella
organization, and year round, weprovide programming and
resources for young peoplebetween the ages of 13 and 24.
So that can come in the form of,exposing them to cultural
(18:42):
events. Here in Pittsburgh, wehave a whole cultural district
that we found out a lot of ouryoung people haven't even
experienced going into some ofour grand halls.
So we'll make sure they areexposed to shows that they're
interested in, but that they cansay, you know, I went to Hines
Hall or I was I was inside theBenedum Center. So we do that.
(19:04):
As I mentioned earlier, we doconnect them to, other
professionals. Now we don'tforce a mentor mentorship
relationship. We feel like thatshould happen organically if
there's some chemistry betweenthe 2.
But we will expose young peopleto a professional in the area
that they're interested in. Andif possible, depending on the
(19:26):
industry, create a day that theycan watch that person work.
Sometimes it's kinda cooldepending on what the job is.
They're able to have them helpthem, in in some capacity. So if
it's a restaurant, maybethey're, like, a junior shoe
chef, at that time or somethinglike that.
So we do that, and then we'vealso we host workshops. We also
(19:51):
do virtual events where they'llhave an opportunity to ask
celebrities that they knowquestions. So it's a variety of
ways that we, try that we workto reach the teens, because one
way might not attract it's likeso, for example, like, at the
(20:13):
celebrity event might be moreimpactful to one teen, versus
maybe the shadowing. So we tryto kinda offer different ways
to, get their attention. Eventhe cultural events will have
other professionals there asadditional chaperones, and
there's opportunities for themto connect and kinda share what
they do there.
So where it's not such astructured environment, but
(20:35):
we're communicating and offeringresources and information.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Mentors or different chaperones who, you know, may
not be that predominant parent,like, the same sex as the
predominant parent in the home,then, you know, that sort of
interaction can really just besomething that is very sometimes
(21:17):
our teens, are seen as peoplewho deflect from authority, but
you're giving them anopportunity to really connect
with authority figures but in aless intimidating way so it's
comfortable. That is huge. Howdid you come up with the concept
(21:37):
that, you know, it would reallymake a difference? I know, you
know, it could take a casestudy, but it seems like the
thought kind of, cameorganically. Is that what
happened?
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Yeah. It it it did. It the whole everything about
this was organic. Nothing wasplanned. But our way of
connecting young people withprofessionals that came from an
issue in our city, they decidedto put some high schools
downtown.
(22:11):
And from that, there were someissues that just came out of
that young people downtown,professionals, people who live
downtown, just that whole mix ofpopulation. So, my husband and I
again, watching the news, seeingthis being a big story because,
again, it's it's it's the anglewas that the kids were cause
(22:31):
causing all these problems, butthat really wasn't the case.
But, anyway, since that was theangle, we offer like, you know,
we wanna step in and help. Weended up, meeting with the
administrators of the schoolsthat who were downtown, and, we
decided to create, a shine awardstudent board. And so each
(22:54):
school selected representatives,to be on the board.
And that's kind of how itstarted. Like we were getting
their feedback and hearing theirconcerns and finding out really
what was happening. And fromthat pool of kids is them saying
to us, we don't have access toprofessionals. Like there were
(23:14):
people that wanted to join themilitary. Like, where do I find
this person?
There were, a girl that wantedto be a model. Okay. We know
several models, like, so that'show it started. And then from
that point, it just kind of grewwhere. Whether it's on Facebook
or, you know, we do some kind ofpartnership with churches, we
would just say, Hey, we havetickets to an event or we're
(23:37):
going to do this.
But on on the back end, we'relike, okay, we need these 5
adults because it's going to bethis kind of a event or these
kind of kids, you know, justkind of be prepared, to how
you're gonna handle yourinteraction. And I think also
what makes it successful for ustoo, is that we don't show up
(23:58):
with a speech. Like we're nottrying to present, we just kind
of hang back and let them talkto us. Unless they have a
specific question, we'll answerit. But for the most part, we're
just kinda hanging out, lettingthem talk.
And, what has happened with thatis sometimes they'll ask for
contact information. Instagramis great because a lot of our
(24:21):
adults are on Instagram and soare the kids. So that's a good
kind of platform. So when ouradults are like, oh, you could
follow me on Instagram. It'sinstantly they got cool points.
Like, oh, you're on IG. Youknow? So, but that's kinda how
that's how it started with thisstudent advisory board, and they
(24:41):
really helped us with thefoundation of building out how
we would communicate movingforward with young people.
Hopefully, that wasn't a longanswer.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
It's totally fine. I think it's perfect. You know,
just hearing you talk, it mademe think about, growing up as a
kid. And for me, I grew up inthe church, and there were many
different types ofprofessionals. But now I feel
like kids aren't necessarilyexposed to a a system like a
(25:13):
church where they're doingevents, and they have to
interact with different peoplewho are different professions of
all different ages becausethere's a intergenerational
piece to it as well.
Like, growing up, we had aintergenerational choir. And,
yes, in some cases, those thingsstill exist, but a lot of our
teens don't necessarily havethat. And it seems like you're
(25:36):
creating an environment that cankind of parallel that experience
in many ways. And so that isvery important
Speaker 2 (25:45):
because I know over the 16 years,
Speaker 1 (25:45):
you've had to have seen 16 years, you've had to
have seen children becomeprofessionals that you once
worked with. Can you kind ofshare some of those highlights
and how that has kind of justmade you feel?
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Yes. It makes us feel very proud, to see them just now
we met them as teens, and nowthey're these, you know,
successful adults. One of oursuccess stories, one of our she
actually was a Shine Awardsnominee. She didn't win a Shine
Awards, but, her expression ofhow important it was to her to
(26:27):
even be nominated. But she's,one of the news anchors on our
on our one of our news stations.
So proud of her. We have a younglady who was our trophy
presenter. She's now a model inCalifornia. We have, we have,
(26:48):
one of our honorees who went onto work at the White House. My
husband is also a reverend.
So he married I think it's been2 years ago now. He married 2 of
our Shine Award honorees. So wecall them our 1st Shine family.
They just also had a son, sohe's our official Shine baby. So
(27:11):
we've married Shine people.
We've had we have authors,nonprofit founders, but, yes, it
is so great to see, oh, I justmet 2 the other day. 1 works at
a theater in our city. Anotherone is I think he's a oh, he's a
(27:34):
performer. He's a songwriter.Like, there's so much like, it's
so great.
But what makes us so proud isthat they say the Shine Awards
gave them that boost theconfidence where they thought no
one was seeing them. And thennot only to be seen, but to be
celebrated on such a publicplatform gave them the
confidence to do more. Just onequick example. In our early
(27:58):
years, we had, a young person.She was, again, great
academically.
But she shared with us, eventhough she was a success in high
school, she didn't think she wascollege material. She ended up
being nominated. She ended upwinning the shine awards because
she won an award that gave herthe confidence to apply for
(28:19):
college. She ended up graduatingcollege and now she's in her
PhD. So so even if your childdoesn't win a shine award or any
award, I think just us, whetheryou are a parent, an educator, a
aunt, a cousin, just making sureteenagers, like, I see you.
(28:40):
Like, I saw you got an a or, Idon't know. Like, I saw that I
see you're you're a really hardstudier. Like, you're you love
to read. You enjoy taking walks.Like, anything that that shows
them what they're doing is good,and they're getting these little
dopamine boost boost of,confidence from people in their
village.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
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Speaker 2: Visit cleverlychanging.com (29:53):
undefined
Speaker 1 (29:55):
to learn more. I just have to pause right here and
tell those who are listeningthat I know you can't see our
guest, Erlana, but she has justlit up the room with her smile
as she talks about her youth andthe Shine Awards. Just hearing
you talk and, you know, namewhat the the students are doing
(30:21):
now, it's like, you know,there's a sense of ownership, a
sense of joy, a happiness thatis so beautiful just hearing you
talk about that. And I and I Ijust had to highlight that for
those who can't see you becauseit's truly, truly beautiful. And
I think, you know, for thosewho, you know, not, you know,
(30:45):
they may not actually, you know,have an opportunity to
participate in the Shine Awards.
But I think just hearing aboutwhat you're doing, hopefully,
this can definitely, you know,light a spark in other people to
take an interest in the youth intheir community. If something
doesn't exist like the shineawards, they can definitely, you
(31:08):
know, take a page from yourbook. So right now, if you could
just speak to somebody who islistening, they feel inspired by
what you're sharing, just givethem a few words of
encouragement.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
I would say, well, if you're a parent, do you mean?
Sure. Okay. So if you're aparent, if you're educator, if
you're an auntie, a cousin, andyou have you have some exposure
to young people, I would sayinstantly, because I think as
adults, we're conditioned togive advice, especially if your
(31:46):
family. But instead of advice,maybe switch your brain to
encouragement.
So whether it's I love theoutfit you put together today,
or I heard that you wrote a newsong today or whatever that is,
instead of a criticism oradvice, Switch your brain to a
(32:09):
compliment of something that youknow, or that you heard that
they've done. And it really goesa long way, especially if your
family, if you're a parent, ifyou're a teacher, yes, it has
impact. But if you're a familymember of a young person,
compliments go a long way.Teenagers love to be where
(32:30):
they're celebrated. And so ifyou are that person they're
drawn to because you representlight, you always have some word
of encouragement, a compliment.
They will come to you, see youas a safe space, and all you're
doing is planting a seed for ayoung person to flourish later
on.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Incredible. Thank you so much for sharing that. And
for those who, do you do youhave to be in the Pittsburgh
area to participate in the SHINEAwards? Can you kinda share how
people can support you and getinvolved?
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Yes. So it started off as a local initiative, but
we are now a national event. Soit is the Shine Awards. We spell
shine with a y. And if you knowof a young person between the
ages of 13 and 24, you cannominate them, in one or more of
the 9 categories that's on thewebsite.
(33:30):
We are in nomination season nowand nominations in the last day
in March. The Shine Awards isthe 1st Sunday in August. So
this year it will be Sunday,August 3rd, and it's at the
beautiful Pittsburgh Playhouse.If you are not from Pittsburgh,
(33:50):
we would love to have you comein. So far, we've had, out of
towners come to our city to be apart of Shine Awards.
Sometimes, out of towners cannotshow up just due to other
academic, what's
Speaker 1 (34:07):
the problem?
Speaker 2 (34:08):
There you go. So, if you are not from Pittsburgh and
your child wins, we do have itwhere they can do a video and we
show it at the, event. And thenwe just ship out your child's
all the winnings, that theyreceive, from being a shine
honoree. But organically, overthe years, the teenagers have
(34:32):
dubbed it the Grammys for teensbecause it's very flashy, and we
literally treat the young peopleas stars as they are.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Super. Super. I wanna just say your, your website once
again, and we'll definitely havethis information in our show
notes, the shineawards.com. Soshine does have a y and not an I
and definitely visitcleverlychanging.com to see the
show notes. So this is justsuper incredible.
(35:05):
I am so proud of you and yourorganization for all that you're
doing in the community. I thinkit's making a huge impact, and,
you know, I wish you many, manyyears to come. If somebody is
you know, they're not able toparticipate, but they wanna
donate, do you take donations onyour site?
Speaker 2 (35:25):
Oh, yes. And we love and appreciate donations. So,
again, the website is actuallythe shineawardsdot dotorg. And
we do spell shine with the y.But, yes, if you do not have, a
child to nominate and you just,feel like this is an
organization you would like tosupport, we definitely would
(35:46):
appreciate it.
And, again, the shine awards dotwork.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
Awesome. Awesome. And thank you. I'll I definitely
corrected my notes so I can putit up there correctly. But this
is terrific.
How can people stay connectedwith you, and what you're doing?
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Yes. So I'm on all platforms. So the Shine Awards
is actually on every platform,TikTok, IG, Facebook, x. And
then I'm also on every platformas well. So Orlana Darkins
Drewery.
I use my whole name. I should beeasy to find, but I'm on
(36:25):
LinkedIn, IG, Facebook x, alleverything. But IG is my
favorite. So if you reach out tome there, you'll probably get a
faster response.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Awesome. Awesome. I definitely know how that goes.
So that is terrific. I wannajust before we kind of wind
down, I wanted to share just acouple points that really stood
out to me about what you said.
Number 1 is create safe spacesfor our teams so that they can
feel valued and heard. Number 2,mentorship is powerful. Listen
(37:03):
to teams, support theirinterest, and nurture them.
Number 3, exposure to thingsgreater than them can have an
impact. Number 4, instead ofadvice, give encouragement or a
compliment.
And number 5, try to berelatable. Meet teens where they
(37:23):
are. So those are just fivethings that you touched on in
today's conversation that Ithink parents can kind of
parents and educators, whoeveris working with teens, can take
with them to, you know, reallymake an impact in the youth's
lives that they are interactingwith. Are there any books, that
(37:44):
you would recommend or anysomething, like, something
additional that you wouldrecommend that, people kind of
look into if they are interestedand and want to work with teens
but don't necessarily know howto get started?
Speaker 2 (38:00):
I don't have a book recommendation, but I have a
activity idea, that, we did withanother organization. And I
don't I don't remember the nameof it, but basically because
most people, especially teens,are visuals. They're very
(38:20):
visual. So if a teacher or aparent sees a young person doing
good, whether that is they therewas a piece of paper in the
hallway and they picked it upand threw it away or whatever,
that you walk up to that personand say, you know, something
(38:41):
like, I see you. And maybethere's a visual board where
there's a star or they get asticker or something for that
act of kindness or selflessnessor whatever that is.
But I just, I'm really big onjust in that moment.
(39:01):
Acknowledging good. And maybejust because again, teenagers
are very visual, some type ofvisual, so a sticker, a gift
card, something to kindasolidify the win.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
Yes. And that gift card, no teen will turn down a
gift card.
Speaker 2 (39:20):
No. No adult's gonna turn one down.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Give them something they can use. I think I think
that is powerful and justbeautiful. As we close, I have a
couple quick rapid firequestions that I wanna ask you.
Okay. And it's more of a this orthat sort of thing.
I'm gonna say, 2 things, andyou're just gonna answer with
the one that you like the most.So pizza or steak? Pizza. Book
(39:49):
or ebook? Book.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Coffee or tea? Coffee.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
Cell or landline? Cell. Computer or tablet?
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Computer.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
Podcast or radio? Podcast.
Speaker 2 (40:08):
Cake or pie? Cake.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
Alright. That was it. Very easy. Very easy. But it
just gives us a little insight.
I appreciated today's talk, andI know our listeners have as
well. Again, say your websiteone more time for everybody as
we close.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Yes. It's the shine awards dot org. We spell shine
with a y.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Awesome. Incredible, everybody. Definitely show some
support. Give, donate. Let thisorganization know that the work
that they're doing in ourcommunity matters.
So thank you so much for yourtime and for being here. Thank
you for tuning into the CleverlyChanging podcast. We hope you
(40:54):
found valuable insights to helpnourish your child's confidence
and sense of self. Remember,every small step you take today
shapes the leaders of tomorrow.If you enjoyed this episode,
please subscribe, leave areview, and share it with other
parents in your community.
(41:16):
Until next time, keep changingthe world one clever child at a
time.
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