Dover entrepreneur turning experience into life lessons

DOVER — On the other side of a childhood that was a struggle, Christina Boyer is confident that she has knowledge to share with young people who may find themselves in a bad place.

So, the Dover High School graduate introduced herself and her new venture — Disciplined Love — at The Hive on Loockerman on Saturday.

The nonprofit is aiming to reach troubled youth who may think they have nothing to keep them busy, nobody to reach out to and nobody who cares.

Ms. Boyer wants to be that teacher, friend and mentor.

“I was a juvenile delinquent myself, so I know firsthand what these young people are going through today,” she said. “Young people in Dover often say there is nothing for them to do, so they are forced to find things to do.”

It turns out, she added, some of those things can lead to trouble.

That’s what inspired Ms. Boyer to enroll in the Launcher program, a 3.5-credit course at Wilmington University that helps prospective entrepreneurs find ways to get started.

Since 2016, Barclays has provided more than $1 million to support Launcher, an initiative of the West End Neighborhood House, a Delaware-based nonprofit that aids individuals to achieve self-sufficiency and reach and maintain their maximum potential.

Janaid Kareem, who has owned and operated Janaid’s Salon for Men for more than three decades in downtown Dover, has been a Launcher instructor for six years, assisting more than 200 graduates.

Mr. Kareem and Launcher have offered mentoring for more than 70 business owners in Kent County.
Events like Saturday’s, when Ms. Boyer introduced Disciplined Love, conjures feelings he experienced when opening his establishment.

“This is the culmination of all of our work, so it’s a really good feeling,” he said. “One of the highlights, to be honest with you, is to be able to see the nervousness. (Ms. Boyer is) nervous as heck right now, and there’s nothing she can do to change the outcome.

“We’ll take the good with the bad, and we’ll make corrections, especially since this is her first event, and then move on to the second event.”

While Ms. Boyer might have been a little apprehensive, Mr. Kareem was there to offer support.

“The Launcher program taught me a lot about business,” said Ms. Boyer. “I won’t be opening a brick-and-mortar location in Dover, but I am hoping to be able to meet with at-risk youth at libraries, schools and other places, where we can discuss what our Disciplined Love program has to offer.

“We want to be there for these young people when they are troubled and looking for solutions and somebody to talk to. I have been down that road personally, so I can provide them with a lot of information and advice.”

Mr. Kareem said it is refreshing to see young people such as Ms. Boyer passing on knowledge.

“It’s really exciting,” he said. “She’s doing a nonprofit for at-risk youth for Disciplined Love. She wants to just introduce herself to the community because there’s a lot of people saying that there’s nothing for youth in Dover, and she wants to be one of those groups to make a difference.”

The first step has now been taken. The next, and most challenging, will be reaching out to Dover residents and finding young people with whom she can share her experiences and mentoring resources.

“This has been a goal of mine for the past several years,” she said. “I just want to have the chance to help the young people in the community. I was once in their shoes, so I definitely know where they are coming from.”

Staff writer Mike Finney can be reached at 302-741-8230 or mfinney@iniusa.org.
Follow @MikeFinneyDSN on X.