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2009

PRESS RELEASE

2009 Youth Empowerment Summit

By

Cheryl Massaro

On Friday night, October 16^th and all day Saturday, October 17^th, close to 100 Flagler County Youth, in grades 6^th – 12^th, participated for free, in the 2009 YES: Youth Empowerment Summit! A leadership event whose main sponsors included: Flagler County Juvenile Justice Council, Flagler County Schools, Focus on Flagler Youth Coalition, and the Flagler Palm Coast Kiwanis Foundation. Registration for the event was open to all county youth and the event was filled on a first submit, first go basis.

The kick-off event was held 7:00pm -9:00pm, on Friday night at the Flagler County Youth Center. The purpose of this event was for participants to meet the members of their team, team leaders and build the excitement about the next day’s activities. All teams were randomly selected by computer. Everyone participated in a few Ice Breaking activities, to help teams to get to know one another, and the event concluded with an Ice Cream Sundae Party, sponsored by Focus on Flagler Youth Coalition, and served by Kohl’s A-Team volunteers. 

Saturday’s YES events took place the Flagler County Government Building. After a motivational speech, by Flagler Schools Superintendent, Bill Delbrugge, Team Leaders took their respective teams to their first workshop sessions. The following workshops were offered:  “Don’t Be Bullied Into Silence”, by Courtney Brock from the Family Life Center, “Love Shouldn’t Hurt”, by Brianna Holt, also from the Family Life Center, “Skills to Pay the Bills”, by Trecia Hightower from the Flagler /Volusia WIA Youth, funded by the Center for Business Excellence, and “Wer n da world r u?”, presented by Diertich Champagnie & Kaheem Golden, from the Putnam County Anti-Drug Coalition.  After every workshop session, youth participated in a 30 minute activity. Ropes was offered by Shantelle Britt, from the Volusia/Flagler Boy’s & Girl’s Club, Geo Fitness by Petra Wagner, from the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club, and two skit sessions were held to organize & produce a team skit on the topic of their teams first workshop. 

The 2009 Youth Empowerment Summit concluded with the ever so popular Empowerment Tool Give-a-way. Youth had been asked to place their one drawing ticket into the prize box of their choice. Participants could select from placing themselves in the drawing for one of the following items: (2) Laptop Computers, (2) Net-Book Computers, (2) Wii Game Consoles (2) Bikes & Helmets, (2) Digital Cameras, and (3) Refurbished Desk Top Computers, donated by Make-It-Take It Program. Donations from Flagler County’s Sherriff’s Office, Kohl’s Department Store, and Team Sponsors including: Flagler County Youth Center, Flagler County Adult Education, Florida Action Healthy Kids Partnership, Future Problem Solvers International, Indian Trails Middle School PTO, Flagler County PAL, Stewart-Marchman- Act Behavioral Health Care, Boy’s & Girl’s Club of Volusia & Flagler Counties, and the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church of Palm Coast , combined with  Gold Sponsorships by: Colleen Conklin, Flagler County School Board, Beven for Congress, and Conklin Painting made the event a reality. Event sponsors, combined with YES Friends & Yes Family members, made the 2009 Youth Empowerment Summit possible.  The event concluded with all participants receiving a Hawaiian Tropic Gift Bags valued at $50 per bag.

The purpose of the Flagler County’s Department of Juvenile Justice Council’s Youth Empowerment Summit, is to help youth make the right choices throughout life by providing them with leadership skills necessary to do exactly that. Not a day goes by that area youth are not faced with a multitude of choices to make. Hopefully, the Youth Empowerment Summit, along with all of its sponsors, and countless community volunteers has helped the 100 participants make their life choices a little easier.