Youth Advisory Council Leads Trainings at PeaceJam Slam

The National Youth Leadership Council’s staff and Youth Advisory Council facilitated trainings to an audience of approximately 120 youth and adults gathered at PeaceJam Slam on October 15. The event took place in Saint Paul, Minn. and is hosted annually by youthrive, the Upper Midwest Affiliate for PeaceJam International.

This year’s theme centered on reversing injustice in our world. Participants approached this theme through the lens of education, the environment, and social systems around the world. Though these topics may seem overwhelming, youth left feeling empowered and confident to change the status quo.

“Peacejam and youthrive recognize that service-learning and engagement should be exciting, and the energy at PeaceJam Slam really reflected that,” said NYLC Youth Advisory Council member Annie Wood.

The event also featured keynote speaker Suzanne Koepplinger, Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, who shared how her victory over past struggles as an American Indian woman had imbued her with a moral obligation to help others experiencing similar injustices.

“Suzanne Koepplinger brought the audience to tears!” commented Wood. “Her passion, drive and candidness were incredible and powerful, and the way she shared her difficult past and experiences brought a sense of empathy and awareness to the whole room.”

This sentiment grew throughout the day as youth and their mentors gained the knowledge and resources they need to start to improve their communities and the world by participating in workshops.

Using resources developed by NYLC, local YAC members led two workshops — Youth Solutions to the Achievement Gap and Youth Taking Action through Service-Learning — with support from NYLC staff. During each workshop, the youth facilitators led activities to foster an understanding of the achievement gap, critiqued the meaning of “success,” and concluded with a lively discussion.

“No matter how many times we conduct a training on the achievement gap, it is always exciting to see how inspired young people get during discussions. They all have such creative ideas about the achievement gap and how they are going to solve it,” commented Elizabeth Koenig, NYLC Program Coordinator.

In Youth Taking Action through Service-Learning, YAC members facilitated one-on-one discussions about what each individual would like to see change in their community. YAC facilitators then connected each idea put forth by the participants to the K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice, allowing them to conceptualize how new projects can be even more effective.

“PeaceJam Slam was a great opportunity to get a preview of what an awesome presence youthrive will have at the National Service-Learning Conference in April!” commented Koenig.

On April 11-14, 2012, youthrive and NYLC will cohost the 23rd Annual National Service-Learning Conference and youthrive PeaceJam Leadership Conference. This event will be held in Minneapolis, Minn., with the theme “Our World, Our Future.” To learn more about conference registration and how to get involved, visit the website at www.nylc.org/conference.