Reflections on the 2018 New England Youth Identity Summit

After a weekend of pure energy from the Summit, the vibe this past Monday around school was a mix of the usual exhaustion with a hint of something else—something rooted in perspective. The main goal of this year’s Summit was to gain perspective on new ideas and ways of thinking. There were moments of mutual agreement and moments of unease, but at the end of it all, the main message was an uplifting sense of hope and new ideas for our generation in the years to come.

I enjoyed every minute of the event right from the kickoff Friday night. After being serenaded by Tree Street Youth Gospel Choir and hearing the powerful spoken word pieces by Marco and Mimi of Signature Soul, my mind was elevated to a place of pure happiness. Those good vibes rolled into Saturday with groundbreaking keynote presentations by poet Ladan Osman and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Between the two, a healthy mix of poetry and prose was conveyed to the crowd of well over 300.

All the workshops I attended were created and implemented by hardworking students with a passion for knowledge. It was an aura of PPP—peace, perseverance, and perspective—which opened my mind to how this generation can bring about change. This year’s New England Youth Identity Summit was more than a summit; it was an ascension into a new domain of thinking for all involved.