The Youth Empowerment summit, a multi-county collaborative event providing connection, education, empowerment and fun for youth in care, their families and supports, will be held this weekend at Camp Ronald McDonald at Eagle Lake.
The annual overnight, summer-camp style event is an opportunity to connect youth and families through a shared experience with recreation and fun activities.
Along with the activities the focus of the summit is also on educating participants through workshops designed to break barriers by providing resources, life skills training and tools for achieving success.
Organizers say the event is all about inspiring people to embrace new ideas, experience and opportunities for their voices to be heard.
Several agencies are working together to make the Youth Empowerment Summit happen including the Independent Living Program, Lassen Community College Kinship, Lassen County’s Office of Education, the Lassen County Probation Department, Lassen County Health and Social Services and the Alliance for Workforce Development.
The Eagle Lake camping event will bring together at risk kids between the ages of 5 and 12, teens and transitional age youth who have experienced foster care, kindship care, guardianship and homelessness. Also invited are parents, grandparents, resource families and any adult who plays an important role in the life of the child.
Social Workers, probation officers, case managers, advocates, educators, attorneys, judges and any professional serving youth and families will also be taking part in the collaborative.
There will be several presentations and workshops covering a variety of topics.
Activities include a Parent Café where, through individual deep self-reflection and peer-to-peer learning, participants explore their strengths, learn about the Protective Factors, and create strategies from their own wisdom and experiences to help strengthen their families.
There will be a Youth Fish Bowl where participants are put into groups and able to discuss important topics with their peers. Fish bowls are youth run and guided to ensure each youth is able to share their stories and have their voice heard.
Fix It City is an interactive learning experience consisting of booths and community partners teaching participants helpful skills.
More than 80 participants from Lassen, Plumas and Trinity counties are expected to attend.
