Youth Summits
Profile: Addressing Concerns of Young Women
In Columbia County, Florida, a special "1999 Girls' Summit" addressed topics
such as violence; teen pregnancy; alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; and sexual harassment
and date rape from the perspective of high school girls. The original idea for a girls'
summit came from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, which had provided resources
for a statewide girls' summit in 1998, hosted by MTV. The American Association of University
Women (AAUW) initiated the 1999 Columbia County girls' summit by providing an initial
grant, which paved the way for additional money from the Florida Department of Juvenile
Justice. According to Bunny Rhodes, Executive Director of the Columbia County Teen Court
and co-coordinator for the summit, "I feel we have given a legacy to our community
because of all of the gifts and information absorbed by these future mothers, attorneys,
doctors, and educators." The Columbia County Schools Comprehensive Health Project,
Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and a large number of other organizations helped sponsor the
1999 summit.
The AAUW, following research findings that girls in adolescence experience a dramatic
drop in self-esteem, seeks to address the issues-sexual harassment, violence, early sexual
activity, substance abuse, and body image-that are important to girls but not addressed in
schools. The AAUW supports "Sister-to-Sister"
summits all over the United States, and offers a step-by-step guide to organizing a
summit, from fundraising and publicity to meals and transportation.
Profile: Solving Problems in the Virtual World
An Online
Junior Summit, hosted by the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology Media Lab took place in November 1998. The idea was conceived
in 1995 by a Japanese businessman who felt that children should be involved in discussions
of the future of technology. He organized a group of students in Tokyo to find out what
children thought. For the 1998 online summit, students aged 10-16 from around the globe
were invited to discuss, in a variety of languages, projects that address important world
problems. Participants chose 100 delegates to represent them at a six-day summit at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where delegates discussed and debated topics such
as cross-cultural communication, new technologies for children, and countries without
borders. They finalized a "Bill of Rights for Children in Cyberspace," and on
the concluding day of the summit presented their ideas to world leaders in industry,
government, and education.
>>OJJDP and Youth Summits
>>Lawyers Lead, Participate, and Support
>>Young People Across the U.S. Confront the Problems That
Affect Their Lives
>>Profiles: Addressing Concerns of Young Women; Solving Problems in the Virtual
World
>>Profile: The International Youth
Environmental Summit
>>A Closer Look at Exemplary Youth Summits: Delaware
>>A Closer Look at Exemplary Youth Summits:
Minnesota
>>A Closer Look at Exemplary Youth Summits: Oregon
>>A Closer Look at Exemplary Youth Summits: Illinois
>>Conclusion: The Future of Youth Summits; Best
Practices
>>Resources and Links
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