Youth-Led Teen Summit Held Over Spring Break
While local schools were closed for spring break, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond hosted a Teen Summit at the Teen & Community Center in Richmond’s East End. The theme of the Summit, mental wellness, was chosen by a teen focus group. Twenty-three young people attended the Summit, and more than half of the teens were new to the Club. The event drew students from ten local high schools.
The lingering effects of the pandemic, the overwhelming pressures of social media, and the gun violence affecting our city’s youth were all factors that led to the teens’ decision to create a forum that focused on mental health.
In late 2021, Boys & Girls Clubs staff and members were reeling from the proximity of a shooting that left two children dead. It happened at a convenience store across the street from the newly opened Teen & Community Center. In the immediate aftermath, staff met with each other, the Richmond City Police Department, city council members and trauma-informed service providers to explore how BGCMR could support the community, and, as important, how to begin to heal ourselves. BGCMR recognized there were voices that needed to be invited to the conversation—the voices of our youth.
A teen focus group was formed. When it came time to plan the spring break Summit, this group was empowered to develop the Summit’s theme, speakers, and activities. The teens overwhelmingly decided the focus of the Summit would be mental wellness. They envisioned the Summit providing a safe place to gather during spring break, creating opportunities to meet with health professionals and coaches, and fostering open conversations about their own well-being. Teens began registering as soon as the event was announced.
During the week, the teens took full advantage of the programming they helped create. They shared openly their thoughts on coping with global and local events, the complexities of being teenagers, the many different aspects of mental health, the challenges of creating healthy relationships, decisions about post-high school life, and career options. They also shared mixed feelings about expectations from parents and family, and the frustrations of feeling as if they don’t always have choices in their path forward.
A popular session during the Summit, called “Are You Okay?” was led by a panel made up of mental health professionals and teens from Armstrong High School’s Leadership Academy. Teens were encouraged to write whatever question, comment or topic they wanted addressed and could anonymously drop them into a box. The panel answered questions ranging from how to file taxes to how to recognize when unhealed wounds cause ongoing conflict in many areas of life. While it may not seem that tax knowledge can lead to stronger mental health, allowing the teens to have a space to ask and talk about anything created an environment of trust, security, curiosity, and opportunity— things that have a great impact on our well-being. With the Armstrong Leadership Program teens participating in the panel, the youth got to experience some teen-to-teen sharing. It was a great illustration of how relationships of all kinds, especially with your peers, are important as you navigate life.
BGCMR provided transportation to and from the Summit. “We hoped that gathering teens from across the region would show that even though we live in different communities, we share some of the same challenges, especially as teens,” said Tasha El-Amin, Community Engagement Coordinator. With a role in the planning, and because they were participating by choice during spring break, the teens were pretty invested in the event. El-Amin knew giving the students agency would have a powerful impact on the Summit—and beyond. “By empowering the teens to make decisions for the Summit, they felt safe to be vulnerable, to share openly, to forge new relationships, to be themselves, and to take what they learned at the Summit back to their communities, their homes, and schools.”
The next Summit will be for middle school students. This Summit will also be youth-led. There will be another focus group, this one made up of middle school members, who will develop the theme for the event and assist with planning and organizing.
We are grateful for the youth who helped create this opportunity, and to our community partners who helped deliver programming during the Summit. Thanks to Yolanda Hall, Prevention Coordinator with Henrico Mental Health & Development Services; Curtis Hall II, founder of Nu Collar Solutions Life Coaching; Vincent White, Adoption Specialist with Henrico County; and Tarnika Edmonds, Founder, Keedy’s Greater Impact.
“By empowering the teens to make decisions for the Summit, they felt safe to be vulnerable, to share openly, to forge new relationships, to be themselves, and to take what they learned at the Summit back to their communities, their homes, and schools.”
