Serlina is the founder of Cocoa, the UK’s first black children’s magazines (Cocoa Girl and Cocoa Boy). These magazines were driven by her desire to build her 6-year-old daughter’s confidence after she experienced bullying at school because of the colour of her skin. Publishing Cocoa Girl has been an empowering journey for her family and especially her daughter (who is also the editor). In 4 weeks, the magazine grew a readership of over 10,000 children! The overwhelming positive feedback and demand for the magazines confirms the crucial need to build a strong community for young black girls and boys who are often misrepresented by mainstream media.
Serlina wants black children everywhere to know that they don’t have to change their appearance to feel beautiful and she intends to use the Cocoa platform to celebrate her culture while making black role models more visible. Serlina’s magazines are filled with inspiring and empowering content for young Black children aged 7-14 years and are intended to support carers and parents too.
As a qualified childcare provider and having worked in the publishing industry for 18 years, launching Cocoa Publishing has given Serlina the opportunity to combine her passion for children and media. She is proud that Cocoa Publishing is tackling the deep-rooted problem of underrepresentation of black people in the media.
She is always looking for inspiring black role models to collaborate with (both children and adults), distributors and potential investors as we position for Cocoa’s global expansion. If you would like to work with her, please get in touch: hello@thecocoadream.com
