Second Annual Youth Empowerment Summit (YES)
To change the world, one must have the courage to say “yes.” At this year’s Youth Empowerment Summit, otherwise known as YES, six Principia Upper School students said “yes” to making a positive and powerful impact in the world—starting with tackling issues in their own backyard.
YES is a single-day conference open to teens ages 13–19 from schools in the St. Louis area. Empowering young people with the confidence and knowledge to become more socially responsible, YES gives students an opportunity to hone their leadership skills and tackle real-world challenges.
This year’s event was held virtually on January 23. Throughout the day, students were able to learn about conflict resolution, strengths-based leadership, and creative problem-solving. Later in the day, participants were separated into cohorts to attend student-led workshops, two of which were led by Principians.
Juniors Jorie Bachus, Kori Jordan, and Naomi Nutwell facilitated a workshop on homelessness in St. Louis, while Pi Arens (sophomore), Kaya Equevilley (senior), and Hannah Wymer (junior) focused on local food access. As workshop leaders, they engaged participants in ideation, discussion, and solutions.
“I love how YES facilitates students as leaders,” says Principia’s sustainability teacher Lynne Scott. “Students are the ones facilitating the workshops, carrying the conversation, and bringing relevant points to the table. This summit recognizes students for the important thinkers they are, and provides an opportunity to dig deep into important issues together.”
After discussing solutions to these two challenges, the student-led groups presented their policy recommendation to the summit’s panel of decision makers, including councilmen and councilwomen, members of law enforcement, and other community leaders tasked with translating the results into action.
“I learned a lot about leadership through having conversations and being able to listen to others' input in solving a real problem here in St. Louis,” says Jorie.
Kaya views the summit as providing a powerful platform to move our ideas forward proactively. “This whole experience has amplified my desire to continue championing causes that are important to me in the outside world,” she says.