2nd Annual Youth Prevention Summit

The two-part Youth Summit is a virtual experience that will build the capacity of students in your school to become change agents. With guidance from their peers and adults, students who attend the summit will gain valuable leadership skills and tools to support positive mental health strategies and protective factors that prevent risk taking behaviors such as substance misuse.

Day one on March 18, 2022 is for youth only. Justis Lopez, CEO of Justis League, will open the day with an energizing keynote with live music. Then Youth to Youth (Y2Y), a student-led, adult-guided organization, will facilitate a series of morning breakout sessions. In the afternoon, Ty Sells and Javier Sanchez from Y2Y will create a space for youth participants to talk about the issues they face.

Day two on May 18, 2022 brings youth and adults together. The morning will feature a panel discussion of “I Just Want To BE,” a mini-documentary developed, directed, and produced by the teens of Columbus, Ohio’s Youth to Youth Common Ground program. This project was developed to continue dialogue in our communities around the topic of racism and how it can contribute to mental health challenges. Then participants will work collaboratively on strategies that build on their strengths to create protective factors that improve mental health practices and reduce risk-taking behaviors. The afternoon will feature a presentation by the Student Equity Advisory Board and the State Student Advisory Council on Education.