Since COVID19 has made it unsafe to hold large gatherings, we are planning virtual Youth Summits for the near future. Information on how you can participate will be posted on the SYSC website and app, so “Stay Engaged!”

Opening Session

Youth gather in a large hall, gym or auditorium. Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green, other Hall of Famers, and former professional and college athletes share their stories of personal challenges and achievements and introduce the group to methods of critical thinking, including:

• URWhatUThink (Your past or present does not define your future)

• MythBusters (Identify and dispute social myths that might hold you back)

• Famous vs. Responsible (How to identify and select role models)

• Developing A Personal Constitution (How to develop your own positive identity)

Break-out Session

• Teens break into smaller groups to discuss what they’ve heard and experienced in the opening session, how what they heard is different from what they may have believed before they arrived, and how to use the information going forward.

• The Break-out Sessions are a safe environment for talking, listening and learning about important topics that they and their friends face every day.

Closing Session

• Everyone gathers together again, and representatives from the break-out sessions offer two-minute reports to the large group on what they found most useful and what messages they will take forward.

• The event wraps up with recognition of special guests and closing remarks.

• Summits are often followed by lunch and opportunities to visit with the Hall of Famers and other guests.