How Does Hope Show up in Your Community?

This question was put to more than 90 teenagers across the United States when they began World Vision's Youth Empowerment program 15 weeks ago. At the three-day Youth Empowerment Summit beginning on June 27, 2007, each of the teams from nine cities across the United States will get the chance to answer.

Natalie, a 19-year-old participant from Tacoma, Wash. says, "Youth does care. We want to be heard." The Youth Empowerment program was designed to provide young people with the tools to enable them to be a voice for their communities.

For the past 15 weeks, each of the nine teams has learned about themselves, their team members, their city, and how they can make a difference. Now they will meet other teens from across the country and learn about their communities and the issues facing them.

At the conference, the youths will have the opportunity to discuss problems affecting their neighborhoods—such as teen violence—with their congressional representatives. They will learn from national speakers and workshop leaders about problems related to poverty and how they can be involved in the solution. Finally, they will have time to go sightseeing on Capitol Hill.

Daily coverage of this event—including interviews with participants and the day's activities—will be available on this site. Be sure to check the website often to see what is happening at this exciting event and to find out how hope is alive in communities across the United States.

This conference was supported by and produced with funds from Award No. 2005-JL-FX-0142 awarded by the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.