Youth Summit III Rescheduled to March

The Youth Summit III that was scheduled for Feb. 5 is being rescheduled. 

Youth Summit III will now be held on March 26. Featured speaker Kevin Breel had to reschedule because of "unforeseen events." The March 26 summit will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Newton North High School Auditorium. 

The summit brings together youth, parents, professionals, and other community members to confront and create solutions to the many challenges facing Newton teens. All Newton teens and adults are invited to attend. There is no fee or ticket for the Summit.

Newton’s first Youth Summit focused on identifying problems facing the city's youth and opening a dialogue between teenagers and the wider community to lessen the mental strain facing Newton’s teens. 

The second Summit focused on creating tangible solutions to the problems of youth/adult communication and youth stress. A group form including youth, parents and community stakeholders such as police, schools and youth serving non-profits, to come up with plans of action to pursue real, positive results to improve youth/adult communication and relieve stress.

The progress of the groups’ efforts will be addressed at Youth Summit III, alongside Breel's talk and a question and answer panel of teens and adults including local mental health professionals. The evening will also include a chance for youth and adults to practice communication and further the dialogue about having difficult conversations. 

Youth Summit IV will take place later in 2014 to again update the community on the progress of, and to continue devising, long-reaching solutions. 

The Mayor's Youth Summits are sponsored by the Newton Youth Commission, City of Newton Health and Human Services Department, and The Newton Partnership.