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March 10, 2017

What to expect at the Flip the Script Youth Summit

On April 13, the San Diego Workforce Partnership’s (SDWP) inaugural youth summit, Flip the Script: 53,000 Reasons to Change the Story of San Diego’s Opportunity Youth, will address the disconnection crisis among the 53,000 San Diego County youth ages 16–24 who are not working or in school. Throughout the day we will pinpoint how to flip the script from “disconnection” to “opportunity.” At the event, which is being held at the Jacob’s Neighborhood Center for Innovation from 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m., will be a diverse gathering of our region’s young adults, parents, employers, workforce professionals, service providers, educators, funders, community members, elected leaders and more. Here’s what to expect:

Youth will be at the center of the conversation

It is imperative to include the youth voice in this conversation — what do they think, need, want, worry about? Throughout the day we’ll hear from young people through spoken word, panel discussions and facilitated table talks that get to the core of what’s causing this disconnection and how to use work, education and community to engage opportunity youth.

Powerhouse keynote speakers

Hear from three nationally-recognized leaders in serving opportunity youth — Don Howard, CEO of the Irvine Foundation; Andrew Moore, Director of Youth and Young Adult Connections at the National League of Cities (NLC) Institute for Youth, Education and Families; and Lashan Amado of Opportunity Youth United. The Irvine Foundation views its most powerful role as supporting leaders and organizations that are effectively addressing some of California’s most significant challenges, both at a statewide and regional level, focusing on solutions and often seeking to address systemic barriers to progress and change. NLC’s Youth and Young Adult Connections supports and informs city leaders and stakeholders interested in improving public safety and reforming the juvenile justice system, also providing peer learning and support to the growing number of citywide programs reconnecting young people to school. Both leaders will offer expert insight on how to serve young adults. Opportunity Youth United is a solutions-oriented movement led by young adults who have experienced poverty and seek to help other young people reach their own highest potential.

Conversations between youth and local leaders

At the summit, youth panelists will engage with local leaders from school and community college districts and government agencies around the question of how our local public systems can better serve opportunity youth. Among these leaders will be Carlos Turner Cortez, President of San Diego Continuing Education and Cindy Marten, Superintendent of San Diego Unified School District.

Ideas will turn into action

Once we leave this room, what actions will be taken to flip the script? Spend the afternoon participating in facilitated table discussions around how to provide more opportunity for youth to engage with work and education. After the conference, SDWP will synthesize the ideas and steps into a regional action plan to meet specific goals for reaching opportunity youth.

Ready to join us? Registration is $25 and you may RSVP here. Conference scholarships are available for organizations with budgetary constraints. Contact HeatherMB@workforce.org for more information.

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