Tag Archive for: #jaydenwatkins

The Local Skinny! Jayden Watkins And ‘Higher is Waiting’

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Jayden Watkins the student is on fall break this week, which gives Jayden Watkins the part-time radio guy some extra daytime hours at WIZS. And maybe, just maybe, it gives Jayden Watkins the founder of the nonprofit “Higher Is Waiting” a little time to devote to his developing organization.

At age 16, the junior at Henderson Collegiate said he had gotten a little pushback from folks who didn’t think he could get the nonprofit off the ground. “I did not listen to those naysayers,” he said.

With a mission “to educate, equip, and empower individuals to live according to their life’s purpose by providing necessary resources and faith-based events,” Higher Is Waiting has a youth Bible Study group and provides food, clothing and other supplies to area agencies that serve needy populations.

The “Empowered” teen Bible study has 130 members who range in age from 13-19. Their monthly meetings include mentorship opportunities and learning life skills, Watkins said. They also do service projects in the community.

“I’m thankful to God and thankful for donations,” he said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Like many an entrepreneur and nonprofit founder, Watkins said his biggest challenge right now is financing to provide food, winter clothing and more. The youth have created more than 300 “Blessing Bags” filled with toiletry essentials, nonperishable foods and more that have been distributed to shelters and other places that serve needy populations.

He’s done interviews with a couple of local TV stations, which come to town when there’s something going on that casts Henderson in a negative light.

“Let’s highlight something positive,” Watkins said. “There are some positive, world-changing young people in Henderson, North Carolina.”

An upcoming event that Watkins is organizing is called “Young Voices for Change,” which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Perry Memorial Library. It’s a chance for young people to speak for up to five minutes on an issue they’re concerned about – from gun violence and self-esteem to substance use among youth in the community. Local officials will be on hand to listen and learn, Watkins said, and “to hear the concerns of our youth…in a good, welcoming, positive environment.”

Call Watkins at 252.425.0354 to learn ways to help Higher Is Waiting.

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TownTalk: Jayden Watkins Part of 2024 Disney Dreamers Academy

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Henderson’s own Jayden Watkins is set to board a plane Wednesday and head to Orlando, FL to participate in the Walt Disney World Dreamers Academy.

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that almost wasn’t, but Watkins said, “God worked everything out.”

You see, his mom had accidentally thrown away the packet of information that Watkins was supposed to fill out to officially be accepted into the program. So there he was, on Christmas Day, searching for a way to get in touch with the folks at the Dreamers Academy and get his hands on the information before the deadline passed.

There’s a saying that goes, “Pray for rain, but keep on hoeing,” and that’s what Watkins did. He hunted and searched online and in emails, but he put his trust in God to “make it happen.”

And it did.

The four-day mentorship program brings together 100 high school students from all across the U.S. who demonstrate compassion, intellectual curiosity, courage, optimism and a positive outlook.

Watkins, who will turn 16 later this month, said it’s an opportunity to meet entrepreneurs, recording artists and others who will share advice about how “to take our dreams and turn them into reality.”

While he’s in The Magic Kingdom, Watkins said he’d be producing an inspirational video that will be released on social media platforms. “I’ll be on a TV show and a couple of other programs that will reach millions,” he told WIZS co-hosts Bill Harris and Steve Lewis on Tuesday’s TownTalk.

The Henderson Collegiate student said the application process was like applying to college, but even more selective. This year’s participants were chosen from among thousands of applicants. Watkins said he simply told his story in the application. “I was authentic…I shared my dreams, my aspirations,” he said.

Actions speak louder than words, another timeless adage that couldn’t be more appropriate when talking about Watkins. In his short time on this Earth, he has become a licensed minister, an author, podcaster, CEO of a non-profit and part-time employee right here at WIZS.

One has to apply actions in order to make your dreams a reality, he said.

If all these accomplishments have elevated Watkins into something more than your typical teenager, he seems unfazed.

“I remember how important it is to be humble,” he said. “All of my talents, all of my gifts, come from God.”

While he’s off in Orlando, his 7-day Bible Study will be released. It’s called “Distance for Warfare” and it can be found beginning this Thursday on the YouVersion Bible app.

His “Empowered Teen Bible Study” was featured recently on CBS 17 for its work in the community, and Watkins said it provides a unique opportunity for teens, who meet monthly for Bible study and to give back to the community.

The group assembles “Blessing Bags” filled with toiletry items, socks and gloves, non-perishable food items and more that are taken to local shelters.

Upwards of 40 teens put the bags together, and Watkins said he’s always grateful for sponsors – groups and individuals – to provide the items for the Blessing Bags.

It may not be the traditional way that churches sponsor youth groups, but that’s ok. Watkins says it’s important to “change the method and keep the message” of helping others in the community.

Whenever he feels like he needs to step back and take a breath from all his work – when he just wants to be a normal teenager for a little while, “I remind myself of my purpose.”

He’s learning the importance of balance in his life – school, family, work, church, community service, entrepreneur all come together to create a busy schedule, no doubt.

But, Watkins said, “This is not only something I like to do, this is something I love to do.”

 

 

TownTalk: 15-Year-Old Jayden Watkins Strives To Be Unique

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Jayden Watkins is not your ordinary teenager.

And that suits him just fine – in fact, Watkins said, he’s known for some time that his uniqueness is a gift from God. It’s a gift that he embraces as he continues to answer God’s call to service.

“It’s OK to be unique and different,” the 15-year-old said on TownTalk this week. “I’m grateful and blessed and honored to be unique,” he told WIZS co-hosts (and for the summer, colleagues) Steve Lewis, Bill Harris and John C. Rose, all of whom chatted with Watkins about his accomplishments and what’s ahead for the future.

A synonym for the word “unique” is “different,” which can carry a negative connotation. And Watkins is all about being positive. God’s call for us, he said is to make positive changes – within our families, households, jobs and the community.

“We must work in unity, despite our differences,” he said. “The needed change will not come if we only dream or think it,” he added. But if we are brave enough to be it.”

Watkins currently is in the middle of his Limitless 2023 tour, which has him speaking and preaching in the area from June through September.

Chances are he won’t be wearing the football jersey Watkins said he used to don on Sunday afternoons as a young child pretending to be a minister delivering the Word.

“It was my preacher’s robe,” Watkins said of that jersey, recalling that his father has shared the story when introducing his son to a group or congregation.

The purpose of the Limitless tour, he said, is “to inspire people to activate and maximize their God-given potential.” He has several upcoming engagements, including Sunday, Aug. 13 at 11 a.m. at New Grassy Creek Missionary Baptist Church in Oxford and Sunday, Aug. 20 at 11:15 a.m. at St. Andrews Christian Church in Henderson.

And his ministerial licensing service will be held Sunday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m. at 16 Big Ruin Creek Lane in Henderson.

Whether you listen to him live or tune in to his Preferable podcast, the message Watkins delivers is one of positivity and finding purpose.

The Preferable podcast, which he started in March 2020 can be found on platforms like Spotify, Amazon and YouTube, just to name a few. According to Fox 50 and ABC 19, Preferable is one of the longest-running podcasts by a person of Watkins’s age.

“It feels a blessing to be able to host a podcast and to receive that recognition,” Watkins said, adding that he hopes the podcast’s message inspires listeners “to activate their God-given talents…to go out and build beloved communities.”

There are challenges, he acknowledged, like sending a flurry of emails just to book one particular guest. “But when I hear the testimonies that people give…I am encouraged to keep going,” he said.

His humble nature shines through during his daily routine, from his work at the radio station to the simple act of holding the door for an elderly woman making her way into the library. She recognized him, by the way, as “that” young man who makes the podcasts, Watkins recalled. She said she listens as part of her nighttime routine, which helps her have a good night’s sleep.

Check out Preferable, follow Watkins on Facebook and Instagram, email him at iamjaydenwatkins@gmail.com  and complete a booking form at https://jaydenwatkins.com/

 

 

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TownTalk 05-26-21 Jayden Watkins Helping Others To Reach ‘Higher Heights’

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Like most teenagers, Jayden Watkins likes to spend time on social media, watching TV and talking with other kids his age. But unlike other kids, Watkins is a preacher, a podcast host and author.

Watkins is completing 7th grade at Henderson Collegiate this year. He and Town Talk host John C. Rose spoke earlier in the week. The conversation was recorded for presentation Wednesday because Watkins is in school when the show airs.

“I love what I do and all the honor goes to God,” Watkins said. His podcast is called The Preferable Podcast, and the title comes from a song that – you guessed it – the young man wrote. The podcast launched in March 2020, “right when we hit the pandemic,” he said, adding that he wanted to create a “platform for people to come and learn how to make themselves a better person and then make a better world.”

The song is dedicated to his community, he said, and he wrote it in response to numerous negative things that were happening in the area. “I was trying to help other people, most of all, to leave the past behind them and reach the heights that God would have them reach,” he said.

“Higher Heights: The Past Is Behind Me And The Future Is Before Me is the title of the book he wrote – when he was a preteen. It contains 40 devotionals and targets young people between 13-18 years.

Watkins will have a book-signing on June 13 from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. at Tiffany’s, 110 S. Garnett St., in downtown Henderson.

Watkins said he remembered getting a little pushback from people when he was writing his book. “’What does a 9-year-old have to say?’” he said he heard from naysayers. That skepticism, which he called a roadblock, “only proves that you are doing something right,” he said. Being told he was too young to be preaching, too young to write a book, served to inspire him to persevere.

“I have a desire to encourage people,” Watkins said. The podcast is one way that he uses social media in a positive way and to provide encouragement. Along with special guests and different perspectives, the podcast includes motivational quotes to help people start their day, Watkins said.

His twin sister, Jaydah, has contributed in her own way to the podcast, Watkins said. He admits that his exposure to music popular with young people was limited, but Jaydah introduced him to hip-hop. When he listened to some of the lyrics, he could better incorporate positive messages to reach his audience.

Way back when Watkins was 9 years old, he preached his first sermon. What he called his “debut message” was given at Spring Street Missionary Baptist Church. Since then, he has preached at Nutbush and Big Ruin Creek. Watkins said he remembers his grandfather recording him as a 9-year-old so he could practice and become a better public speaker.

Yamlet Foster is Jayden’s mom. “She helps me with my ministry,” he said. “She makes sure I have what I need and that I am happy.”

He said he hopes to study political science and biblical studies in college, but he hasn’t decided which school he would like to attend.

Watkins’s book is available for purchase online at retail outlets including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Target.

Click play for Jayden’s TownTalk broadcast audio.