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Over the last few weeks of February, Life Restaurant, located at 881 Old Fort Road in Fort Deposit, hosted two youth-oriented community events. These events were the Etiquette Class for young women on Feb. 17 and the Hands on Day for young men on Feb. 24.

The etiquette class was open to young women ages 8-18 and those present learned table manners, how to sit, how to greet people, proper handshake technique, body language, how to order off a menu, and more. 

The Hands On Day was open to young men ages 8-18 and those present learned life skills such as how to check and change oil, replace wiper blades, the proper way to change tires and check air pressure, and much more. 

LaShunda Brown, the owner of Life Restaurant, said that she continues to do these events so that the youth of the community can be uplifted and learn valuable life skills. 

“We host these classes so that we can give our youth experience that they can take with them throughout their lives,” Brown said. “We want to get them to a place where they understand that they can thrive in any environment they are in.” 

Both events accepted 50 young women and young men. 

Attendance for both events totaled more than sixty individuals. 

The classes were held as a way to open the youth’s eyes to many different aspects of life that they might not see on a daily basis. 

Brown expressed her happiness following the outcome of the events and said that it was an obvious change in the young women that attended the etiquette class. 

“It really touched my heart to see everyone come with one level of confidence and leave with another level of confidence,” Brown said. “They were able to open up with things that they were dealing with and things that made them feel like they aren’t beautiful or loved.” 

As a result of the etiquette class, Brown announced that there will be a monthly girls only class starting in April called She Talks for the young women to have an outlet to talk about things they usually would not be able to discuss. 

In addition to that event, Life Restaurant plans to host other events for the youth over the next few months. The upcoming events include a sewing class, a financial literacy class, and an arts/design class.