Youth Summit Participants Reminded That Schuylkill County is a Place to Chart Their Future

High school students from across Schuylkill County gathered last week for the annual Youth Summit.

The event, organized by Schuylkill County Commissioners and facilitated by Schuylkill Connects, was held at Penn State-Schuylkill.

Schuylkill County Youth Summit’s goal is essentially to let high school-age teens know their options locally before they take their talents elsewhere after graduation. It’s a service that’s needed because, as organizers say, the Schuylkill County population is aging and we need younger leaders to fill vital roles going forward.

“We are an aging county, so we need our younger leaders to start stepping up,” Schuylkill Connects executive director Mandy Fitzpatrick told The Canary. “Today is a primer to give them information to make informed decisions about what’s here in the county, what’s missing, how they can make a difference and how they can continue to make a difference.

Fitzpatrick served as emcee and chief facilitator for the Youth Summit.

“What they do now can make a change for themselves, their families, their schools and their communities,” she added.

Throughout the day, students attending Youth Summit made presentations on service projects they’ve completed at their schools or in their communities and then participated in breakout sessions to learn more about community service opportunities in Schuylkill County, storytelling, self-advocacy, and civic and community engagement.

The whole point is to get students to realize what they have here and dismiss the notion that Schuylkill County has nothing to offer them in the future.

“It’s about making them aware of what’s right here under their feet,” Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess told The Canary.

Hess added that the point of the Youth Summit isn’t just to talk at the students but to open up and listen to them as well and let them know that their input can help make positive changes.

“You tell us what we’re missing. What is something that you want to see that we can at least work toward and then advocate for,” Hess said. “You can’t just turn a light switch on making change. You can make effective change but sometimes it takes a little bit.”

The Commissioner said if there’s one thing that he hoped any student got from their time at the Youth Summit is that Schuylkill County is a place where they can find their future.

“I’m hoping that whether they start their own business or they get involved in the community, that they go talk to people and say Schuylkill County is the place to be … to change that thought that there’s nothing here,” Hess said.

He also reminded people that today’s youth don’t have to feel that they’re alone if they choose to stay in Schuylkill County, that there’s a support system or a “lifeline” for them here.

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