Six Appalachian Youth To Youth students from Bowman, Harris, and East Yancey Middle Schools went to the Empower: Teen Leadership Summit put on by Teen Health Connection. They traveled to this youth-led conference to learn about leadership from inspiring speakers and fellow teens.
The aim of the weekend-long conference for rising 8th to 12th graders is to empower “every adolescent to be healthy, safe, and successful.” The students heard from a series of speakers like De’Marco Fomby, who used a medley of Disney and pop songs to encourage youth to follow their passions and make a change in their community by living and leading authentically. And from Shane Manier, who shared deeply personal poetry and art to encourage attendees to express themselves through a self-portrait painting exercise.
The event showed what leadership can look like as former attendees returned to the event as organizers, group leaders, and even as speakers. Past attendees shared how they’ve brought the leadership curriculum back to their schools and communities, and how it’s helped them succeed everywhere from high school to Hollywood.
Besides listening to speakers, students got a chance to develop their teamwork and leadership skills during smaller group team-building exercises with youth from around the region. There was also time for bonding and fun during a campfire jam session and a celebratory end-of-conference dance. Students came away with new friends, empowering new ideas, and the enthusiasm to make change in their own communities.
