YOUTH SUMMIT TO EMPOWER KIDS

Small group discussions.

A presentation on physical health by a youth. I could only get in 1/4 of the room...it was packed!

Last Thursday the Washington County Commission on Children and Families Youth Advisory Council hosted the 5th annual youth summit open to all middle and high schools in Washington County. I have organized this event each year and it's an amazing program that reaches thousands of young people in our community. I do all the planning and organizing and the youth advisory council hosts the event by welcoming students, introducing speakers, explaining sessions, etc. Having students on stage empowers other students to step up and be involved. There were about 350 students and adult advisors present at the event. This years project focus areas are Mental Wellness, Physical Wellness, and Social Wellness. During the day students hear from speakers on each of the focus areas. This year we invited 2 mental health specialists working with schools, an ex-pro football player Alex Molden (8 years in the NFL), a youth activist for healthy lifestyles, and a relationships specialist with a domestic violence resource center. After each presentation students along with adult mentors from the community discussed how each focus area looks in their school and ways they can get involved in addressing them. After lunch student teams started to develop an action plan for a project. So many meaningful and powerful conversations came from that session. Each team can apply for up to $800 to fund their project. All projects are developed and implemented by students. This programs gives students the opportunity to develop leadership skills and empowers them to become involved. Projects will take place from January until the end of May and then all students along with community members will be invited back to a culmination event where students take the center stage and share the work they did in their school to create positive change.