Family values should be one of the most important things that any child grows up with, and while some divorces occur without losing such values, some can lead to a difficult time for the children. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen divorce rates go up along with an increase in child abuse. The alarming development prompted Yalanda Barber-Sweeney to set up a non-profit organization called Inspire Your Daughters and Sons.
Inspire Your Daughters and Sons Inc., or IYDAS, is a family and children advocacy non-profit organization focused on the Four F Framework – faith, family, fun, and finance. The framework was designed to support families that had children to strengthen broken relationships, build stronger bonds with social and emotional learning tools, and produce generational wealth while having fun learning how to express themselves with confidence.
“Our masterclasses, trainings, courses, and Facebook community are centered around this framework,” said founder Yalanda Barber-Sweeney.
Among the organization’s latest programs is the Kreative Master Minds, which allows youth K – 12 to find their voice and build confidence through arts and culture, with a specific focus on creative writing. They focus on enrichment activities that promote mindfulness, self-esteem, identity, writing, and culture in the class. IYDAS also creates an environment that exposes inner-city youth to strive to become a writer and possibly an author. Additionally, participants of the program will be given the opportunity to learn the process of writing a children’s book, build confidence through finding their voice in creative writing, become pen pals with another youth in Africa, and have a completed published book.
Inspire Your Daughters and Sons Inc founder Yalanda Barber-Sweeney is the first African American woman to create a female and male toy curated as African American foster care heroes, Princess Yaya and King James. She developed IYDAS when she witnessed the alarming increase in divorce and child abuse rates during the pandemic. Yalanda immediately set off to create a voice of hope for families.
“Our masterclasses, workshops, storytime readings, and webinars are all about empowering parents, guardians, caregivers, and youth,” said Yalanda.
The organization strives to build and strengthen family connections and build confidence through visual arts and culture. IYDA is determined to become the leading family and children advocacy center in the space. With their programs, they will not only teach the youth how to create a body of written work to publish but also teach them how to monetize it and become a kidpreneur. IYDAS also supports and assists other non-profits that have similar clients, teaching them how to publish books to build visibility and generate revenue in the marketplace.
While Yalanda Barber-Sweeney has already created a significant impact among families through Inspire Your Daughters and Sons, she believes that she can take her organization to a higher level.
“In five years, I see IYDAS building a school in Africa for families with children,” said Yalanda. “We will build housing and an arts and culture studio with warehouse functionality here in Atlanta. Then, we will expand to teach and support all of the visual arts – dance, drama, photography, drawing, music and literature.”
