Recap of the YVP Summit

Planned and co-hosted by youth ambassadors Cori Thibideaux, Michael Sweeny, Gia Strom, and Syndey McDaniel, the Youth Violence Prevention Summit was held in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday, April 22nd. The event consisted of a keynote speech presented by youth enrichment program manager Darrell Young, along with four guest speaker-led workshops, live music, and food. It was free to all highschool students, and drew participants from across the Twin Cities. 

The summit aimed to give youth a space for conversation and education on topics of relationships, consent, trauma, and more. Upon arrival, everyone was welcomed by adults and ambassadors and encouraged to introduce themselves to someone new. The space was full of positive energy and inclusion, which allowed for focused and vulnerable involvement from facilitators and participants alike. 

In an interview with co-leader Michael, he described his pleasant surprise at how quickly the feeling of community set in and filled the energy of the event. His favorite part of the day was seeing how perspectives of participants grew and changed throughout the workshops with the knowledge that was being shared. It was meaningful for him to see the direct impact that the event had on youth, and it grew his excitement for where this program could go in the coming years. This was the inaugural Youth Violence Prevention Summit put on in collaboration with Agape Oasis, and Michael hopes that in the future this summit will grow to become a larger annual event with diverse workshops, and also be a jumping off point for related events. 

Overall, the summit created spaces of growth and vulnerability, while opening up the possibilities for where this program can go next year and beyond.