NUL Youth Leadership

NUL Centennial Youth Leadership Summit

“Dedicated. Determined. Destined. We Are Empowered!”

Washington, DC - Wednesday, July 28 - Saturday, July 31

Now in its 21st year the 2010 NUL Youth Leadership Summit will host young people from across the country in the capitol city of Washington, DC. Invited to attend this four day event are 500 attendees representing Urban League youth serving affiliates, partners and invited youth groups will be immersed in a unique educational and developmental experience.

Aspirational and experiential, the youth summit is structured to build a ‘college going identity’ in youth participants through exposure to college campuses and career opportunities. Similarly, while supporting professional development opportunities for youth workers and encouraging broader programmatic capacity building among the affiliates is a key priority for the division. Youth participants learn to navigate the college experience, their program staff and leadership from the affiliates are provided with structured professional development and capacity building while attending the Summit. A highly qualified and well trained staff is central to the National Urban League’s Education and Youth Development program models. Therefore, sharing promising approaches and practices, supporting professional development opportunities for youth workers and encouraging broader programmatic capacity building among the affiliates is a key priority for the division.

Centennial Summit Highlights

Project Ready Student Case Competition Finale

Now in its 2^nd year the Project Ready Case Competition brings together student teams from local and national Project Ready sites to compete with one another to come up with the best solution to a case problem that is selected by the National Urban League. Project Ready participants develop innovative program concepts, approaches and potential programs for elementary, middle, or high school students. All Project Ready sites participate in the competition and 4 teams will be announced as the finalists in June. Through Case Competition activities, students develop team building, leadership, presentation and communication skills. The 4 finalist teams will present their ideas to a panel of judges live at the 2010 Summit. Winners will be announced during the 2010 Centennial Youth Summit Awards Ceremony.

Project Ready Invitational College Fair

The National Urban League is partnering with colleges and admission professionals to launch the Project Ready Invitational College Fair. Scholarship organizations, college access organizations and over 30 colleges and universities will present their educational opportunities in the Washington, DC Convention Center. Summit participants will have the opportunity to spend time with admissions and financial aid representatives. Adult chaperons will receive valuable information on college access resources to assist young people with attaining, sustaining and having post secondary success. The college fair will also be open to DC area students and families.

100 @ 100 Luncheon

The National Urban League will host at least 100 Black doctors (M.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.) at a luncheon event designed to bring professionals in direct contact with Youth Summit participants. The doctors will be asked to spend time during lunch and virtually following the Summit, talking with youth about their success and their personal, educational and professional journeys. Our expectation is that youth will no longer be able to say that they do not know anyone from their background who is a doctor. Other professionals (lawyers, principals, etc.) and graduate students will be present to provide similar support for attendees.

Workshop& Professional Development Sessions

Youth Summit workshops are used to reinforce the goals of the Education and Youth Development programs that young people experience in their local communities. Youth participants are exposed to specialized workshops and sessions designed to build on their experiences during the program year. General workshops include training and preparation for post secondary success, career exploration, financial literacy and critical thinking, youth entrepreneurship and environmental advocacy.

While young people learn to navigate the college experience, their chaperones and other program staff from the affiliates are provided with structured professional development and capacity building in such areas as, Programming for High School Age Youth; Program Evaluation; Using Technology in Afterschool; College Access & Retention; Project Based Learning and Effective Partnerships.

Hope to see you there!