Erica Lanes is a former teacher and healthcare administrator on a mission to empower girls.
For the past decade, she’s led mentorship programs for young girls. In September last year, she hosted the “My Selfie Needs No Filter: Little Ladies of Leadership Conference” at the University of West Florida which featured speakers, performances, free food and giveaways.
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“It was bananas,” said Lanes. “There were 500 girls in attendance. And when it was over they just said ‘What’s next?’”
The positive response from the conference led Lanes to write a book, “My Selfie Needs No Filter.” And this week, she launched a week-long summer camp with sessions running through July 28. In total, Lanes said the camp will serve about 250 girls.
“It’s not just about self-esteem, but self-confidence, self-love,” Lanes said. “It’s about being unapologetically your authentic self.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 57% of teen girls are experiencing high levels of violence, sadness, and suicide risk— that’s nearly double the number of boys. This trend has been growing for years.
Lanes, the mother of two teenage boys, aimed her program to girls 13-19 in age when she realized the need. In the same CDC study, it found increased suicide attempts in Black youth.
“What I can appreciate about the Black community is we used to not talk about mental health issues, now it seems like we’re more comfortable,” said Lanes. “We’ve come a long way.”
But Lanes’ summer camp was created for girls no matter race or background. And it’s free, which was important to Lanes to make sure there was no barrier to sign up. The camp encompasses a wide breadth of activities and lessons from self-defense to cooking to etiquette training.
Earlier this week, the first group of summer campers met at RWR 365 (formerly Real Women Radio) studios where they learned about radio production and even got a few minutes of air time — some of which was filled by nervous giggles.
“Today is self-confidence day,” said Lanes. “So, all of the activities we’re doing speak to self-confidence. Today will help them channel some of the strengths they didn’t know they had.”
Also on the day’s agenda is mock interviews, learning about healthy relationships, and the importance of taking “respectable” pictures on social media.
Host and RWR 365 CEO Quanda Pace gave the girls a crash course on hosting before they went into the studio. A big part of her job is having self-confidence, she said.
“You can’t worry about what other people are thinking. I don’t see none of that because I love what I do.”
Pace had a few of the girls get up and practice introducing themselves on air. After a few feeble attempts, the girls came out of their shells speaking directly into the mic and dancing to (an edited) “Pretty Girls Walk” by Big Boss Vette playing through the speakers.
Jacaziah Stokes, 13, was one of the girls to get up and play host. Getting up in front of the group was, she admitted, “a little bit hard.” But when the group started to laugh and have fun, she was enjoying the spotlight.
“I just have to tell myself to believe in myself and just express myself,” she said. “It makes me happy to make others laugh.”
It’s a prime example of how Lanes wants to reach girls — by making it fun. When planning a field trip for the campers to Andrews Institute, Lanes made arrangements to get a party bus. It’s no wonder some of her friends call her a “teenage whisperer.”
“I just try to make them feel comfortable,” said Lanes. “My take home message for the girls is to not be afraid of the big and heavy issues. We can get through this — that rough patch does not last forever.”
Kennede Thomas, just days away from turning 18, has known Lanes for the past three years. She calls Lanes’ book “the cheat code to being a girl.”
“It’s taught me a lot more about self-confidence and definitely self-worth,” said Thomas. “My selfie needs no filter — I don’t need to filter myself or my emotions.”
Thomas counts Lanes as a mentor. She’d even like to start her own group to help teens — specifically those with missing parents.
When the camps have ended, the girls still have a space to connect and learn through the “My Selfie Needs No Filter” Facebook group, which has 1,700 members. But take it from the girls, the in-person experience is best.
“I learned to have fun and that people should believe in themselves,” said Stokes. “If you come here you will have best day of your life.”
For more information about My Selfie Needs No Filter summer camp, visit myselfieneedsnofilter.com.
