On Saturday, September 16th, more than 150 youth and parents came together at Orange Coast College for MADD Southern California’s first Annual Teen Influencer Summit.
What is the Teen Influencer Summit?
With the support of Hyundai, students across five counties joined their peers to engage in discussions on topics ranging from marijuana in the media to mindfulness. Eight MADD Southern California Youth Advisory Board Leaders hosted workshops including our signature Power of You(th) program. In addition, community experts from Orange County Health Care Agency, State Farm, and Social Advocates for Youth, San Diego shared resources with parents in attendance.
The Youth Advisory Board is an opportunity for teens to train as peer-to-peer educators and help MADD implement innovative underage drinking prevention programs in their community. Senior Amy Baldwin from Santa Fe High School said, “I had a great time talking to teenagers about the dangers of drinking underage and being able to connect with them about situations that are happening on a regular basis all around us.”
Highlights
Highlights from the day include Chris Burton from Art Active LA, who introduced students to the practice of mindfulness. The game-based learning platform Kahoot! was used to talk about safe and sober driving. Sessions wrapped up with Latrice Jordan-Jones’ Earn Your Seat: A College Preparation Discussion. Throughout the day, attendees posted on social media using #ProtectUrSelfie to earn raffle tickets for prizes donated from local companies and partners, including a pair of tickets to home game of the Los Angeles Rams.
Our Youth Advisory Board Leaders continue to work throughout the year to create programming for key events like Teen Driver Safety Week, Red Ribbon Week, prom and graduation. They are an essential part of building relationships with stakeholders in the community and are excited to start planning for next year’s Annual Teen Influencer Summit!
