TAVIS SMILEY FOUNDATION YOUNG LEADERS PREPARE FOR AUGUST NATIONAL SUMMIT

The Tavis Smiley Foundation will host five-day conference, scheduled for Aug. 7-12 at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. for youth, ages 13-21. The Youth to Leaders National Summit will include advocacy training, networking with community leaders, and career planning under the theme, "Redefining the Image: Preparing African-American Youth for Leadership." The registration deadline is June 30. Scholarships are available.

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) June 19, 2003 -- Millions of teens will take time off this summer to enjoy the school break, but 20 youth tapped by the Tavis Smiley Foundation (TSF) to organize a national leadership summit will spend their time finalizing details of what promises to be an historic gathering of African-American youth in Washington, D.C.

So far hundreds of students from 20 states and the District of Columbia have registered to attend the Youth to Leaders National Summit scheduled for Aug. 7-12 at Catholic University of America. The registration goal is 1,000 students.

The five-day conference includes advocacy training, networking with community leaders, and career and education planning under the theme, "Redefining the Image: Preparing African-American Youth for Leadership."

The organizers have three critical goals they hope to accomplish: develop a national agenda for African American youth issues, create a network of leaders who will get busy and carry it out, and dispel some of what they perceive as negative portrayals of African-American youth.

We think black youth are often considered lazy, ignorant and apathetic. This is our chance to create a more accurate, complimentary depiction of black American youth who we know care about the world we live in," said Nicholas Sneed, 19, Springfield, Mass.

Since 2000, the Tavis Smiley Foundation has produced a series of one-day leadership conferences in 10 cities focusing on advocacy and civic involvement.

"The Youth to Leaders programs has helped me to understand how to get mobilized to tackle issues in my community," said Blake E. Green, 19, of Houston, who helped to organize a teen health fair after attending a conference in that city.

By attending this national summit, I will be able to network with other Y2L alumni and non-alumni in a unified effort to uplift our black America."

Green and Sneed are among the 20 committee members selected by the foundation to organize the summit based on their participation in the one-day events and their academic achievement.

The more I spend time engaging youth, the more I am convinced that we have to do all that we can to support their endeavors and expose them to opportunities so they can take the initiative and chart their future," said Tavis Smiley.

The conference registration fee is $500 and includes meals, housing, workshops, historic tours and ground transportation in Washington. Scholarships are available. Registration does not include transportation to and from Washington. The deadline is June 30. For more information or to register call 323-290-1888 or 866-U-CAN-Y2L or visit www.youthtoleaders.org.

ExxonMobil, Coca Cola and the Annie E. Casey Foundation are the national sponsors.

The Tavis Smiley Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1999 to enlighten, encourage, and empower youth to improve their lives, their community and the world. The foundation is based in Los Angeles and has programs in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, New York, Oakland, Philadelphia, Warren, Ohio and Washington, D.C. Tavis Smiley is the host of The Tavis Smiley Show on National Public Radio and the author of six books. His most recent book is: Keeping the Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing and Hope from Black America. For more information, visit www.tavistalks.com.

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