About NULITES
The NULITES Youth Leadership Initiative & Summit
Introduction
At its Annual Conference in 1990, the National Urban League introduced its “Youth Conference, the National Urban League Incentives to Excel & Succeed (NULITES)”. This renewed effort to service young people, would focus on providing opportunities for youth from economically and socially challenged backgrounds and diverse cultures.
To provide this experience the National Urban League determined that the conference would always be held on a Historically Black College or University or at a collegiate institution of higher learning. To this end the youth conference provides youth participants with actual exposure and experience of living and navigating residential college life.
Since its inception, NULITES has grown from an annual conference for young people to a highly effective youth leadership network and developmental program that directly serve some 8,000 youth. Focusing on preparing young people to be self-sufficient, competent and contributing members of society and their communities through exposure to individuals and programs that promote character development, enhance critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills, the NULITES Youth Summit is considered one of the country’s premiere youth leadership forums.
The National Urban League Incentives to Excel & Succeed (NULITES) is the longest running youth leadership initiative administered at NUL. NULITES is based on 7 Principles that guide young people into becoming successful adults. (7 Principles of NULITES - STRIVE for excellence at home, school and in my community; WORK within my neighborhood to further its development; RESPECT my mind and body as well as the minds and bodies of others; CELEBRATE my heritage and culture as well as those of others; CREATE a better future for my family, other people and myself; CARE for the world’s people and environment; PROMOTE a universal spirit of cooperation and peace.)
To reinforce the values of the 7 Principles into real world knowledge and skills NULITES is developing a curriculum on the concept of PERSONHOOD - the process through which one understands his or her origins as a human being in order to serve humanity. To achieve personhood one would be taught cultural citizenship - knowledge, consciousness, values and competence in community and culture. This model of youth development addresses the significant challenges & obstacles that Black youth experience while building on their cultural strengths and heritage nurturing opportunities for innovative, values-based, contextualized youth leadership service.
The national curriculum is still in the developmental stages however we have identified the 3 areas of cultural citizenship and the 6 areas of study and action that will be the bases of the workshops and talent camps that will be hosted at the youth summit.
Areas of Cultural Citizenship
1. How to Serve Community, Family and Humanity (LEARNING TO CONNECT): Youth possess the knowledge, skills & competence to serve their family, community and humanity; culturally conscious of their place in the extended family of color & critical conscious of their human connectedness with diverse others.
2. How to Make a Living: (LEARNING TO BE PRODUCTIVE) Youth become culturally sensitive & savvy to create a business (using cooperative & entrepreneurship skills) and/or pursue a career (including science, technology, the arts, skilled trades, social service professions, law or education. etc)
3. How to Know and Love Self & Others through Journeys of Authentic Experience (LEARNING TO NAVIGATE): Youth actively & passionately seek knowledge about themselves and others through enhanced critical and analytical thinking skills, social skills & talent development; service-learning, and service-study-travel experiences.
Areas of Study and Action
- College Preparation/ Readiness
- Leadership & Independent Living Skills
- Heritage Knowledge & Diaspora Literacy
- Economic & Financial Literacy
- Health & Quality of lifeLiteracy
- Technology & Media Literacy
- Civic Engagement & Leadership Literacy
- Civil Rights& Racial Justice Literacy
- High School to World of Work Transition/Career Exploration
Youth Summit Activities and Events: Conferees participate in educational, social and skills building activities. All activities are designed to provide youth with an opportunity for one on one interaction, networking and information sharing with their peers, nationally known celebrities, leading political, social and academic experts.
Workshops and forums allow teens to express, discuss and share their world opinions. Major events during the youth conference are plenary sessions, issue forum, youth speak out, workshops and college/career fairs. The young people’s experiences also include events such as talent camps, youth talent show, “comedy-Ed” shows (comedy with an educational message), and city tours, rap sessions and contributor receptions.
Summit Demographics: The Youth Summit provides educational, social and networking opportunities for 400 - 600 young people, ages 12 - 19 years old and their chaperons from urban middle-class to low-income communities serviced by Urban League affiliate programs. Throughout the ten years the NULITES Youth Program and Summit has served 86% African Americans, 12% Latinos, 2% Whites and other ethnic backgrounds.
Young people participating in NULITES and other Urban League youth programs and who have attended the NULITES Leadership Summit have improved their social and interpersonal skills, self-esteem and academic standards. Many have gone on to college and have often been major contributors in the military and world of work.
