FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 21, 2019
MY BROTHER’S KEEPER AND GIRLS EQUITY NETWORK MICHIGAN – 2019 YOUTH SUMMIT
‘YOUNG, POLITICAL, POWERFUL’
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – October 21, 2019 – Join My Brother’s Keeper and Girls Equity Network (MBK/GEN) Michigan for their annual youth summit on Friday, November 1st at the Mendel Center in Benton Harbor, MI. Youth and adult leaders will come from across the state to explore civic leadership, learn organizing skills, and spearhead transformation in their communities.
Benton Harbor MBK/GEN is the host of the 2019 statewide summit, seeking to build collective young political power in Michigan. The Summit focuses on informational and hands-on learning and action planning to equip and empower youth to make a difference in their communities. The event will open with key remarks by Benton Harbor Commissioner MaryAlice Adams and Bankole Thomphson of The PuLSE Institute and The Detroit News. These remarks will be followed by a community conversation panel where high school students and community organizers George Golliday and Bertha Carson-King will answer young peoples’ questions about leadership, organizing, and advocacy.
The theme for this Summit is “Young, Political, Powerful,” focused on young people shaping the education sector and policy in schools. Youth will be at the table to transform policies and systems that influence their life outcomes. The Summit will include a hands-on People’s Assembly organizing process, guided by Rukia Lumumba of the People’s Advocacy Institute, where youth set priorities and learn to mobilize peers, parents, elected officials, and other local leaders to make a difference in their communities. Adult leaders will engage in collaborative strategic planning to support youth leadership and a strong statewide network.
The event will close with key remarks by Dr. Earle J. Fisher of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Memphis and and a call to action from One Love Global’s Angela Waters Austin. The day will feature arts performances by youth, including a performance of “Get Up” by students of Benton Harbor High School about overcoming the adversity of a negative public image.
MBK/GEN extends warm thanks to the S.P.A.R.K. Foundation, The Mendel Center, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and additional sponsors for making this event possible. Summit participants will include youth and adults in MBK/GEN Communities, and those interested in becoming MBK Communities or getting involved.
WHAT: “Young, Political, Powerful” Youth Summit
WHEN: November 1, 2019, 9am - 4pm
WHERE: The Mendel Center, 1100 Yore Ave., Benton Harbor, MI 49022
The event is free with registration. Secure tickets online at https://mbkgensummit2019.eventbrite.com
About MBK/GEN Michigan
My Brother's Keeper and Girl's Equity Network (MBK/GEN) Michigan is a network of Michigan communities and partners committed to collective action to improve outcomes for youth of color of all genders. In September 2014, former President Obama issued a challenge to cities, towns, counties and tribes across the country to become “MBK Communities” to enact sustainable change through policy, programs, and partnerships. The My Brother’s Keeper initiative and 3G Network in Lansing, MI were used as starting points to construct a plan for the Girls Equity Network in Michigan. The MBK coalition expanded to include targeted outreach to girls and young women of color in 2017.
Media Contact:
Sarah Gettel
567-342-1182
sarah@oneloveglobal.org
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