“It’s meaningful beyond belief when youth get to see people showing up for them. Someone to say ‘you matter, your next steps matter, your future matters,’” says Katie Upton, our conference organizer.

On May 5^th, a group of 65 young people came together on the Champlain College campus with a goal: to build leadership skills, learn about leadership opportunities in the community, and create bonds with their peers.

The occasion was the Multicultural Youth Leadership Conference, organized by Spectrum’s Multicultural Youth Program and made possible by community members like you.

The agenda for the conference, now it its third year, is set by a Youth Advisory Council, who decides what types of workshops, activities, and resources their peers would benefit from the most.

Youth started off the day with a lively team-building exercise led by Mellisa Cain of Learning Through Laughter.

A community collaboration

The workshops at this year’s conference were led by some amazing local organizations, including the Young Writers Project, Burlington Free Press, the Community College of Vermont, King Street Center, Learning through Laughter, Bright Blue Media, Burlington High School, the University of Vermont, and the Peace & Justice Center.

Afternoon workshop were led by The Vermont Center for Independent Living, South Burlington High School, the Speak Up Roosevelt Forum (SURF), and the Community College of Vermont.

Planned Parenthood was just one of the many community organizations, job programs and volunteer-led projects that presented at the Multicultural Youth Leadership Conference resource fair in the afternoon.

Thinking back on the most memorable parts of the day, conference organizer Katie Upton mentions a student who approached her after “First Hand: Life After High School”, a workshop led by youth from King Street Center and the Community College of Vermont.

“I had a young person come up to me after ‘First Hand’ and tell me ‘This is the first time I’ve really learned what options I have when I graduate,’” says Katie.

To all of our supporters—thank you for caring about the future of youth in our community. It’s because of your compassion and generosity that this year’s Multicultural Youth Leadership Conference was possible!

The post By Youth, for Youth: The 2018 Multicultural Youth Leadership Conference appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

What follows is a guest blog post written by CeCe Horbat, the Diversity, Equity, & Multiculturalism Coordinator at Spectrum.

On May 6th, 2017, we hosted the Youth Leadership Conference at Champlain College. Created by our Multicultural Youth Program, the conference is designed for youth to have fun and learn, while also providing the support they need to build successful leadership skills.

To make it happen, we collaborated with many amazing community partners, including Northwest Counseling Support Services; Vermont Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health; Burlington Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront; Burlington Community and Economic Development Office; and Champlain College.

Our Youth Advisory Committee designed the whole conference, choosing everything from the t-shirt design to the workshops, from our amazing keynote speaker, Rebecca Eun Mi Haslam (Vermont’s Teacher of the Year), to our Snapchat geotag for the day! In order for the event to be a success, it had to be by youth and for youth.

Catherine, left, of the Burlington Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront; and Rebecca Eun Mi Haslam

Almost 100 youth, ages 14-24, participated in the day, learning about themselves and each other. Haslam kicked off the day by sending us the important message: “Know your why, and remember that you are the only one in control of where you’re headed.”

Some of the day’s most popular workshops were led by youth: “LGBTQ Intersectionality,” “Conversations about Racism,” “Breaking Down Cultural Barriers,” and “Spoken Book.” And many other community partners, like the Fletcher Free Library, The Peace and Justice Center, Opportunities Credit Union, and Parents and Youth for Change led fun, engaging workshops.

After lunch, youth explored over 30 organizations, service providers and post-secondary opportunities in a resource fair. Special thanks to ACLU, Vermont Tech, Vermont Works for Women, “I am Vermont, Too,” and Vermont Adult Learning, just to name a few.

In order for the event to be a success, it had to be by youth and for youth.

We finished the jam-packed day by reading a Letter of Support from Senator Bernie Sanders (though he wasn’t able to make it!) and holding a raffle drawing for prizes to local businesses. To our amazing community raffle prize partners like Old Spokes Home, City Market, YMCA, Burlington Electric, the staff at TJMaxx and many, many more, we thank you for your amazing support.

The conference was successful and empowering because of the support of people like you. We’re looking forward to an even bigger and better conference in 2018. In the meantime, you can find us on Facebook to see photos and stay up-to-date on how you are helping. Huge thanks to all who believe in our youth!

CeCe Horbat, left, and Emmajane Hoffman, of the Multicultural Youth Program.

CeCe Horbat is the Diversity, Equity and Multiculturalism Coordinator at Spectrum, as well as the AmeriCorps member serving in our Multicultural Youth Program.

The post Know Your “Why”: Youth Build Leadership Skills at Spring Conference appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

About a year ago, with support from community members like you, our Multicultural Youth Program launched “Girls Group,” which takes place every Friday from 4-6 pm.

Girls Group is open to all self-identifying young women. Each Friday, anywhere from six to 15 young women come together at Spectrum. We invite youth of all ages to join the group, though the group generally attracts 14–24 year olds, and we’ve also welcomed aunts, mothers, and grandmothers.

It is thanks to you that this program is available for young women who are building a space that is theirs—a powerful opportunity to take up space, explore future options, and connect with peers to build confidence and find their voices.

A focus on the future.

Everything we do in Girls Group is looking toward the future, but that doesn’t mean we only focus on education and job searches.

From October into January, youth focus on “Self and Community,” and from February to May, they focus on “Culture, Society and the World.” Within these broad themes, girls get to know each other and themselves, and to build trust and a positive group dynamic across many diverse cultures.

From this foundation, and with your support, girls think critically and reflectively about how they can bring their unique voices and talents to the world.

“Girls Group makes me feel like I can try new things. I feel like I have a good group of friends now too, and I’m finally not afraid to be myself.”

In the past few months, girls made collages about self-image, made calming mindfulness jars, and celebrated holidays and explored their meanings.

A whole community opens up, thanks to you.

A huge part of our youths’ success includes our community partners. We led a “Burlington Bingo” scavenger hunt, where girls walked to community resources like the Fletcher Free Library, the Community Health Centers of Burlington clinic, the Peace & Justice Center, and our own Drop-In Center. They took pictures, met staff, and learned about how these organizations can be a resource for them, their friends, and their family members. For the new year, girls reflected on the highlights of 2016, discussed plans and set goals for 2017.

In the second half of the year, we’ll get out into the community even more, with field trips to ECHO, a sailing trip with the Community Sailing Center, Green Up Day volunteering, and a Peace & Justice Center workshop to learn about women who are changemakers around the world.

How you can get involved:

If you or someone you know would like to join Girls Group, email us at myp@spectrumvt.org, or call (802) 864-7423.

You can make a gift to support our Multicultural Youth Program by clicking here.

The post A Space for All Girls appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.