Mobilizing Youth Summit

June 8-11, 2023 in Jackson, Mississippi.

*The 2023 MYSummit application is closed.

Hosted by Teen Health Mississippi and our partners, the annual summit provides young people with an opportunity to increase awareness around issues affecting youth in their communities. It is a chance to equip young people with the skills and tools to build community-level advocacy campaigns for the rights of young people.

“When you become an advocate for something you care about, you’re going to be surrounded by people who care about it, too.” —Samantha Fuentes, Parkland School shooting survivor and gun rights activist, speaking at MYSummit 2020

About the 2023 MYSummit

The Mobilizing Youth Summit (MYSummit) is a three-day advocacy conference for young people aspiring to create change in their communities. The summit brings together 100 young people from across the southeastern region to engage with other youth advocates, city leaders, entrepreneurs, policy experts, and social activists. Attendees will participate in immersive workshops, thought-provoking roundtables, and inspiring keynotes, all while building their network of fellow changemakers who are working toward change in their local communities.

The goals are to spark critical conversations and move us towards collective action on issues that impact our local communities. MYSummit will offer young people opportunities for networking, skills building, and engagement, with outcomes that further include ideas and improvements to take back and implement in their respective communities. The skills taught are lifelong skills that empower participants to become our next generation of advocacy, business, and community leaders.

We encourage all youth who meet the eligibility requirements to apply and join the pipeline of future leaders who will impact communities across the state. Students of diverse backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply.

The Summit will connect young people with an aim to:

Engage participants around the importance of youth advocacy and how their contributions, voices, and experiences can help with systems transformation.
Empower participants to become advocates by identifying priorities regarding social justice issues in their communities and taking the lead on tackling these issues through systems change.
Enable participants to develop a personal action plan outlining their advocacy plans and how to implement impactful initiatives within the next 3-6 months.

MYSummit will include:

3 plenary sessions, including a keynote address.
Team-building and networking activities that will boost engagement and forge an unstoppable community of youth advocates.
At least 9 thematic discussions and interactive breakout sessions involving a range of youth and adult partners.
Tabling event with approximately 15 representatives from across the state and a wide spectrum of industries.

Eligibility Requirements:

Must be a resident of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, or Tennessee;
High school or college student, age 15-21, with a passion for advocacy;
Proven track record of leadership experience and school or community involvement;
The ability to respectfully work with a wide range of groups and individuals, including LGBTQ+ persons; people of different cultural, religious, racial, and political backgrounds; and people with different abilities.
Able to remain on-site for the entire duration of MYSummit which is scheduled for June 8-11, 2023.

Program Fees/Cost to Participate:

Thanks to philanthropic support from our generous sponsors, there is no cost to attend this event. Teen Health Mississippi will provide all participants with lodging and food.

Teen Health Mississippi may be able to provide travel stipends for any participant unable to attend due to limited funding for travel. Participants needing assistance with travel will need to indicate their needs on the registration form.

If you have any questions about program fees/cost, please reach out to the Director of Youth Engagement and Advocacy, Alexis Hicks, at alexis@teenhealthms.org or (601)-487-1228.

Admission to MYSummit is highly selective.

Successful applicants typically demonstrate:

Thoughtful, well-written responses that express interest in the program content.
Recommendations that convey academic performance, community involvement, and potential.
An array of extracurricular activities and/or personal achievements that denote intellectual curiosity, ability to collaborate, initiative and ambition, or diversity of interests and ideas.

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