The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

Instead of pitting women against one another, as is often done by society, a special event this weekend seeks to unify and uplift all women.

The ladies of Nassau will be treated to a special girls' day when Sonovia Burrows hosts her third annual Sip n' Chat empowerment event. The party and shopping event takes place this Saturday, June 16, at the BCPOU Hall and is being held by her company The Little Lady.

The chat session will be facilitated by Na'Toya Flower, Ianthia Smith, Sabria Thompson, and guest artist Charisa. Sonovia told Tribune Woman she is happy to announce that a new feature has been added this year. Audience members, she explained, will have their time to shine at the event by asking specific questions from a "chat box".

Other highlights will include a photo booth, and vendors such as It Sparkles, First and Company, 89 Degrees North and Butter n' Bloom, who will offer items ranging from bath bombs to customised tumblers.

"Sip n' Chat is an intimate all-female empowerment event. I usually compare it to a girls' day out because you not only get to sip on some cool refreshing drinks but you get to shop, socialise, and most importantly, chat about all of things that we girls talk about. For example, men, careers, personal goals and life as a woman on the whole. When I first had this idea I truly only wanted it to be a small crowd, an intimate event at that, but obviously God had other plans for it," said Sonovia.

For it has been a "surreal" and humbling experience knowing that something she launched is now impacting young women so positively. Even after all the positive feedback she has received over the last three years, Sonovia said she sees herself as only a vessel. The event, she said, is not about her, but rather about every young woman who decides to attend in an effort to share their lives and experiences with others.

"I didn't expect a third annual event, but I do hope that it will continue in this same direction. It provides a neutral and non-judgemental platform for us to express ourselves and relate on a level that we as women don't usually do. It is a supportive environment rather than a hostile one that we experience constantly with women against women. The event strives to bring us all together, seeing that society tries so hard to pull us apart," she said.

Before starting the Sip n' Chat event, Sonovia's ran her personal blog called "The Little Lady's Diary". With each entry she wrote about things that affected her on her journey as a woman, from love and relationships to travelling, etiquette and inspiration.

"I realised I was getting great feedback so I decided to come from behind the computer screen and make it more personal. Thus, birthing Sip n' Chat. Attending this event will change your life. And I'm not only saying that because it is my event, but because my heart was warmed when I simply saw women getting along and relating to each other," she said.

"In society today, you see the perception of women being catty and fighting with each other, but this event takes that perception and throws it out of the window. To be in a room with so many young women just thriving and wanting to be heard is an amazing experience in itself. Take that and couple it with great entertainment, food and shopping, who could really ask for a better girls' day out all in one place?"

For all interested persons, Tickets for Sip n' Chat are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.