Meet Aveus Johnson | Founder of I Am Somebody (IAS) Girls Club | Educator | Writer | Sewer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aveus Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aveus, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve always had a passion for helping young women reach their goals and grow into their best selves by attaining the necessary knowledge and skills to do so. This passion stems from working within the education system and seeing how often some kids are not afforded the same opportunities. With the I Am Somebody (IAS) Girls Club I am able to help change that by providing a safe place for them to learn and grow together. The purpose of our program is to empower, educate, and encourage students on important concepts such as the idea of self, relationship skills, decision-making, social awareness, healthy living, and higher education. The goal is that our girls will leave the program with an increase in self-love, awareness, respect, confidence, courage, and leadership/educational development.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
At IAS Girls Club, one of the main ways we are able to impact our girls is through our bi-weekly group sessions. These sessions normally last two hours and always center on the self-development topic of focus. Our self-development topics align specifically with our six pillars: the idea of self, relationship skills, decision-making, social awareness, healthy living, and higher education. Our reasoning for choosing these as the pillars of our program is that with the above tools combined you have the ability to lead a successful life. We are aware that the term success can be subjective and look different for everyone. The goal is that whatever it is our girls choose to pursue, we want them to be able to use the tools we’ve provided to help them accomplish it.

Something I am most excited about right now is that we are beginning to have more opportunities to collaborate with local businesses. This is amazing because it allows business owners/entrepreneurs in our community to come in and facilitate sessions, it gives our girls a chance to learn through various perspectives, and it allows me to build new relationships with hopes of growing our program even more.

When I first began this program in 2018 it was an afterschool program with limited space and resources. However, we made it work and the impact made through that one semester was incredible. Today, thanks to God, we now have our own space with still limited but more resources than what we had before.

We are now able to reach more young women throughout the entire community of Charleston, SC versus only in one school setting. My point is, that no matter how long growth takes, no matter how small milestones may seem, it is so important to celebrate the entire journey. Find joy in the process and keep working until you’ve reached your goal. Growth is ongoing and we should always embrace and make room for it.

One of the most important things I’ve learned throughout this growing process is how important networking is. Getting yourself, your brand, whatever it is that you’re doing out there is an important part of growth. Stepping out of your comfort zone and going for things will get you further than you think. Just go for it!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve lived in Charleston for almost ten years now and there is still so much I haven’t seen, experienced, eaten, etc. However, I do have a few favorites that never disappoint. We would definitely start our day watching the sunrise on the Isle of Psalm Beach. This is one of the most peaceful things I’ve ever experienced here. After that, we’d do brunch at Bear E Patch Cafe. Who doesn’t love a good brunch right? After brunch, we’d rent some bikes and ride around downtown to sightsee. After bike riding, we’d freshen up and get dressed for dinner at Gillie’s Seafood, nice drinks at Martini Me Charleston and a fun night out at Blue Note Bistro.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There have been multiple people who have contributed to the growth and success of the IAS Girls Club. First, I’m thankful to God for giving me this vision and the strength to begin this journey to bring it to fruition. I’m thankful for my mom, who is always encouraging me to go after the things I believe in. I’m thankful for Anna Middleton, who was the very first person to volunteer and support me at the very beginning of this journey. I’m thankful for my family, friends, volunteers, and supporters of any kind who have ever donated, shared a post, given their time, or any type of resource to help support our program. It is very known that Non-profits or Grassroots organizations of any kind rely heavily on the support of the community so I am forever grateful for that. Lastly, I’d like to shout out Diviann Gilliard who has been my right hand throughout most of our growing process. With any idea, goal, or plan that I have for our program, she is there to support it one hundred percent. Even when I am a little in over my head exploding with ideas, as most visionaries are, she is there to bring me back to reality, for now. So, shoutout to Diviann Gilliard!

Website: iasgirlsclub.org, linktr.ee/aveus.cj

Instagram: instagram.com/iasgirlsclub, instagram.com/aveus_c.j