Minnesota Youth Summit Kicks Off in Northfield

Members of Minnesota's second congressional district are invited to join young people and adults for the Minnesota Youth Council's kick-off summit Nov. 6 at Carleton College's Weitz Center in Northfield.

According to a council release, this is the first of a series of summits that will be held around the state. The event will highlight responses to a survey administered by the Minnesota Youth Council last year, in which young people identified their top issues as bullying; drug and alcohol abuse; and gangs, crime, and safety. Participants will examine these issues’ relevance to the dropout rate and achievement gap.  

The following are more details on the event from the release:

Minnetonka sophomore and Minnesota Youth Council Leadership Crew member Micaela Jacobson hopes that the summits “bring youth and adults together to discuss and identify challenges that youth face today, and then together work on addressing those issues and creating plans to support youth in our state.”

The event will include a screening of a related documentary developed by the Minnesota Youth Council in partnership with Intermedia Arts and Youthprise, highlight related efforts, and provide time for community teams to identify gaps and action-plan.  

Summits will be held in every congressional district between now and the end of January, with upcoming dates including Mankato Nov. 18, Duluth Nov. 23, and St. Cloud Dec. 3. (Learn more.) Attendees will be invited back to a statewide summit in the Twin Cities on Fri., June 13, 2014, to celebrate their ongoing work and hear from summit participants representing other congressional districts.

Partners in this effort include the Governor's Office, the Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota Campus Compact, Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota, MADD, Teenwise, and Youth in Government. The events are supported by a strategic partnership that includes Youthprise and youthrive, as well as State Farm.

Food will be served, but please register early, as space is limited. For more information, go to mnyouth.net.