WILMINGTON, N.C. — Girls Rocking in the South, or GRITS, is a group dedicated to empowering and building confidence in young women.  

Suprena Lenise, a nurse in the Wilmington area, started the group in 2012 with a goal of helping at-risk youth. These days, she says that all youth are at risk because of the society we live in.  

What You Need To Know

  • Suprena Lenise started GRITS in 2012

  • The girls meet every first and third Saturday of the month in addition to workshops and creating a podcast

  • The goal is to help girls feel their best and learn skills that they can use throughout their lives

Online sites and apps have opened the door to low self-esteem issues, bullying and even sex trafficking. She says that this group can help keep girls feeling their best.

“I push a lot of self-esteem, building them up from the inside out so that you can look at the outer beauty there and say, ‘oh, that’s Beyonce, oh, Cardi B,’” Lenise said. “But what about inside, what does your heart look like, you know, do you know who you are?”

GRITS also encourages turning natural talents into something useful, such as a business.

At one of their meetings, the girls were making sugar scrubs. While many thought it was a fun way to get their hands dirty on a Saturday morning, they also understood how they can turn the craft into a business.

“That keeps them from being on the streets or depending on a guy or going into the wrong situations, selling drugs and all that for the wrong money,” Lenise said. “You can make it right there, you’re crafty, you’re gifted.”

Encouraging those skills is only half the battle. Building confidence is the main goal.  

So far, the group has worked wonders.  

Amari Poindexter, former president of the group, is living proof.  When she first joined the group, she says she was very shy.

“Back when I first started, like I was not like this, if you put a camera in front of me, I would not talk in front of the camera,” Poindexter said. “But now, with the girls and help, you know, here I am talking to the camera now.”

Shaiesha Pittmancobb graduated and left the program. However, she loved it so much that she came back.  For her, the best part is being with the other girls.

Being a nurse, Lenise said that she loves to help people. She finds this kind of work to be very rewarding.

“So I like to say, I use my stethoscope differently, so the community is like my patient load, but right now, these kids, the girls, they’re my patients,” Lenise says. “So I just help them heal, help them grow, nurture them, just like I do with the adults.”

You can find more information about GRITS on its website, or reach out to the email: info@girlsrocking.org.