YP! NYC peeps get ready for the excitement of our upcoming Annual NYC Regional Youth forum. YP! Youth forum is one of the few peer-run events that are for and by youth across child-serving systems such juvenile justices, mental health, foster care, and youth with a disability. Youth have the opportunity to let their voices be heard and raise awareness on issues concerning youth.

Last year, NYC Regional Youth Forum was held on September 23, 2011. The forum was located at the Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building's Art Gallery in Manhattan, NY. The NYC Youth Forum attracted a widespread of youth from across systems. The NYC regional planning team worked exceptionally hard buy had loads of fun during the process as they collaborated with various child serving agencies and organizations. At the event, there were youth that were current or former recipients of child serving systems such as foster care, juvenile justice and mental health. At the forum there were various youth-led groups which involved young adults that voiced their life experiences in the form of art such as rap, spoken word, and hip-hop performances. Youth performances had the audience entertained and engaged. Also during the event, youth broke up into groups and discussed topics on how to improve our child-serving systems. The information gathered from the youth at the forum will be used to help shape YP!'s Priority Agenda for 2013.

If you are interested in joining the NYC Regional planning team to help plan this year's youth forum, contact NYC Regional Youth Partner, Pauline Gordon at pgordon@youthpowerny.org.

The Children's Defense Fund is a national non for profit dedicated to improving the quality of life for America's children. CDF advocates and conducts research on issues concerning children. The organization derived out of the Civil Rights Movements. CDF was founded by infamous Civil Rights Activist, Marian Wright Edelman in 1973.

There were more than 3,000 attendees at the conference. Out of the 3,000 attendees, many were youth advocates such as me. It was inspiring to be surrounded by other advocates from across the states dedicated to the same cause. The conference had a youth track for young adults between the ages of 18-30 called the CDF Young Advocate Leadership Training also known as the YALT program. At the YALT program I engaged in to interactive workshops with my peers as I learned a range of leadership and advocacy skills. The YALT program was insightful and engaging. I was great to network with youth
advocates from across the U.S. and learn different way they are advocating in their communities for systems change.

One of the biggest highlights of the conference was the plenary sessions. The plenary sessions consists of an array of speakers from notable author, Maya Angelou to the parents' of Trayvon Martin. The plenary sessions touched upon injustices within our society. Some of the issues brought up were mass incarceration, economic inequality, gun violence and poverty. I enjoyed all of the plenary sessions but my most favored one was the session which was named, National and Racial Healing Town Hall. I was
moved by the courageous families who spoke up and shared their stories of their children being killed due to gun violence and hate crimes. Their testimonies were empowering. A quote that resonated in my head was a quote by Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton said, "Turning my hurt into something positive and what I mean by power is through our foundation with us helping other kids so this does not happen to them." as she explained how she was able to cope and heal from the death of her son.

 

Fulton's son, Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old African American boy who was a victim of racial profiling and was shot to death by the neighborhood watch coordinator, George Zimmerman. Her story taught me that we cannot let our oppressors get the best of us by giving in to the wrath of hate but instead utilize it as fuel, as power to spread love and raise awareness of hate crimes. In addition it was an honor to be in the presence of Maya Angelou. At the conference, Maya Angelou had received the CDF's Lifetime achievement award for her dedicated work to helping and motivating children. Maya Angelou gave a inspirational speech where she urged us youth to not give in to acts of violence and hatred. She then recited her poem, "I'm a Rainbow in Somebody's Cloud."

Overall, my experience at the conference was phenomenal. I felt empowered to go back to my community and share and implement the many lessons learned. As advocates it's important to educate ourselves on social injustices and the root causes of them. There were many civil right leaders who spoke of efforts of advocacy and the mobilization of grassroots movement. They taught us to learn from our elders, our history in hopes to influence a strategic plan of action for today. The Civil Rights movement was not just a movement of the 1960s but a movement that still continues on today towards the betterment of humanity and it is up to us youth to continue the movement.