FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2015
Contact: Michael Wukela, Office of the Mayor @ 803-413-5052
My Brother’s Keeper to Host Local Action Summit for Our Youth
Columbia, SC. – Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin announced today that the My Brother’s Keeper Columbia initiative will host a Local Action Summit for Youth, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on April 11 at the South Carolina State House.
The Columbia community accepted the President’s My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge in October. The Summit, which targets young men of color ages 11-21, will host a direct discussion with the youth on what their community can do to ensure their individual and collective success.
"Our youth need reassurance and evidence that our city is actively seeking ways to help them succeed,” said Mayor Benjamin. “It is up to us to foster these discussions and give them the tools they need to achieve their goals. Columbia, please register any youth that you know.”
The Summit will allow our young people to work in breakout sessions for further discussion on how Columbia and our regional partnerships can provide students the tools they need to succeed. The panels, facilitated by community leaders, will be broken up by age range (11-13, 14-17, 18-21).
This is the second Local Action Summit held in Columbia. The first was held in October when the community accepted President Obama’s challenge. Parents are encouraged to tell their children about the event, which will be a fulfilling and influential day of discussion for Columbia’s youth.
Youth can register for the Local Action Summit for our Youth, by visiting the website at bit.ly/registermbkcolumbia. If you or a member of your organization is interested in volunteering to facilitate discussion, please contact Jasmine Dunlap at jadunlap@columbiasc.net.
Sam Johnson
Office of the Mayor
City of Columbia
P.O. Box 147
Columbia, SC 29217
P: 803.545.3038
F: 803.733.8633
T: @SamPJohnson