PORTLAND, MAINE | Over 300 high-school students, educators and supporters from across New England gathered for two days of inspiring speakers, student-led workshops, performances and dialogue sessions at the 2018 New England Youth Identity Summit.
The event, themed “Reshaping Communities: Finding the Courage to Talk to Each Other,” took place April 6-7 at Wayneflete High School in Portland. Keynote speakers included former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick and the American-Somali poet Ladan Osman.
Largely organized by about two-dozen Seeds, the summit focused on sparking meaningful conversations about identity, diversity, and community. Topics ranged from the role of young people in social changemaking, to navigating the fine line between calling people out versus calling people in for problematic behaviors.
In one workshop that focused on intersectionality in feminism, a young woman remarked on the responsibility of those with privilege to build bridges: “Allyship means taking risks where it is unsafe for others to do so, and utilizing your privileges for the benefit of those who do not have them.”