Youth Summit Newsmakers

Since its inception in 2012 the Schuylkill County Youth Summit has been making headlines across the county and viewing region.

This section houses print, video and photo history of the Youth Summit and related projects.

2012/2013

County students discuss future with leaders, legislators in Youth Summit

March 22, 2013 Over 150 students from 16 different school districts and technical institutions in Schuylkill County filled Courtroom No. 1 at the county courthouse Thursday to discuss the future of their hometowns with local legislators, business leaders and community organizations as part of a first annual Youth Summit. "It went well. The students were fantastic. The discussions were very fruitful and they were very enthusiastic. They came up with some great ideas," Kay Jones, executive director of Schuylkill County's VISION, said Thursday… By Mark Gilger Jr. to read the full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/county-students-discuss-future-with-leaders-legislators-in-youth-summit-1.1461991

2013/2014

VISION Schuylkill County Youth Summit

March 20, 2014 Sam talks with Executive Director of VISION, Kay Jones and Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess about their youth summit. To view video click here https://ssptv.com/vision-schuylkill-youth-summit/

2014/2015

County students present Youth Summit projects

October 9, 2014 PRIMROSE — Before they host three town hall meetings later this month, Schuylkill County high school students presented their projects Wednesday for the annual Youth Summit to members of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce. The presentations were made during a breakfast at St. Nicholas Hall, Primose. The breakfast was sponsored by Penn State Schuylkill. The second annual Youth Summit was held March 20 in the county courthouse. The event serves as a forum to discuss with community leaders how they can make the county a better place to live, work and raise families. As part of the program, each school district came up with a service project for their communities...
By Mark Gilger Jr. to read the full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/county-students-present-youth-summit-projects-1.1768053

Young Leaders Build a Brighter Future

May 13, 2015 The Schuylkill County Commissioners will convene the third annual Schuylkill County Youth Summit on March 13th at the Penn State Schuylkill campus in Schuylkill Haven. This year’s summit will once again bring together young leaders from all county high schools to engage in making Schuylkill County a better place to live, work, play, and raise their families. The summit’s mission is to engage, equip and support Schuylkill County youth in designing their own future. This year’s summit will feature advanced technology found at the Penn State campus. Students will be asked to bring their phones and tablets so they can collaborate on projects throughout the day… By Coal Cracker to read full article click here https://coalcrackerkids.org/youth-summit-2015/

2015/2016

County students to take charge of blight talk at Youth Summit

February 17, 2016 SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Schuylkill County students will look to tackle blight at the fourth annual Youth Summit on March 10. More than 100 high school students from all the districts in the county will gather for the event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Activities and Advising Center at Penn State Schuylkill. Schools were asked to send at least six students — two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors — to participate. Commissioner Gary J. Hess, who spearheaded the project four years ago with other county officials and community organizations, said the students continue to take charge of the event. “Especially this year, there has been more student involvement in running the whole summit,” Hess said Tuesday. “That was the goal. We still have a lot of community support, a lot of organizations, and they see the need and impact of the Youth Summit. It is putting the ball into the hands of our future leaders and we are here to see what we can do to make a change and hopefully open them up to the opportunities to be successful here in Schuylkill County, their home.”… By Mark Gilger Jr. to read full article click here https://housingalliancepa.org/county-students-to-take-charge-of-blight-talk-at-youth-summit/

Students Helping to Shape the Future at the Upcoming Schuylkill County Youth Summit

February 25, 2016 The County Commissioners will convene the fourth annual Schuylkill County Youth Summit on March 10th, 2016 at the Penn State Schuylkill campus in Schuylkill Haven. This year’s summit will once again bring together youth from all county high schools to engage them in making the county a better place for them to live, work, play, and raise their families. This year’s summit has had more students input. The topic for the summit will be blight. The Youth Summit Youth Ambassadors, a subset of the summit representatives, have been meeting for several months to find out more about the issue. Tom Palamar, Pottsville City Administrator and Mary Beth Dougherty of Senator Argall’s office have both shared information with this group.

At the summit, students will hear from Micha Gursky, part time executive director of the Tamaqua Community Partnership, about the transformation of Tamaqua over the past years. There will also be a panel of experts to address students’ questions and offer coaching. The students do not only want to look at the problem of blight but come up solutions. Each school will work on a plan to address blight in some way in their community… Published by Skook News to read entire article click here https://www.skooknews.com/search/label/Events?updated-max=2016-02-25T09:21:00-08:00&max-results=20&start=480&by-date=false

Schuylkill Youth Summit to tackle blight

March 11, 2016 SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Schuylkill County’s high school students are working on projects to tackle blight in their communities. More than 100 students came up with projects Thursday as part of the fourth annual Schuylkill Youth Summit in the John E. Morgan Auditorium at Penn State Schuylkill. Blight was chosen as the theme at last year’s event. Before developing their projects with classmates, the students received guidance from community members. Micah J. Gursky, Tamaqua borough councilman and executive director of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, was featured as the guest speaker for the event. He talked to the students about the revitalization efforts in the borough over the past 30 years. Gursky said that everyone told him he had to leave the area to be successful, but he wanted to come back after graduating college and help improve the area… By Mark Gilger Jr. to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/schuylkill-youth-summit-to-tackle-blight-1.2017802

Youth Summit wins Local Government Excellence award

April 11, 2016 The Schuylkill County Youth Summit has won the Governor’s Award of Local Government Excellence. During Local Government Week every April, the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services has hosted a Local Government Day celebration, featuring the presentation of the Governor’s Awards for Local Government Excellence to recognize local officials for their successes in undertaking innovative initiatives to improve the quality of life in their communities, according to a press release from county officials. The Building Community Partnerships award went to the Schuylkill County Youth Summit, which has the goal of engaging, equipping and supporting the youth to build their own future in Schuylkill County. “The Youth Summit is a true example of success,” Commissioner Gary J. Hess, who spearheaded the project four years ago with other county officials and community organizations, said… By Mark Gilger Jr. to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/youth-summit-wins-local-government-excellence-award-1.2029412

2016/2017

Lifelong skills come from Youth Summit

October 21, 2016 To the Editor: It has been a few years that the Youth Summit has been in operation as a product of Schuylkill County’s VISION and county Commissioner Gary Hess. A question that may arise is, of what benefits are these programs for the youth involved? The Youth Summit engages youth from middle and high schools to identify topics of concern to them about their school or the community and to research the topic and identify some possible options that can be implemented by them, the youth of today.
One topic of concern was inexperience in driving and fatal results of this. Students made a request of their schools to reinstitute driver education and learned the practicality or impracticality of this when it was presented to school systems. Another topic of interest to students is the blight found in many communities. What can be done about neglect of houses and upkeep of lots? The toll of drugs and alcohol in the lives of youth is another topic of great interest. By Jane Kruse to read full letter click here https://www.republicanherald.com/opinion/letters/lifelong-skills-come-from-youth-summit-1.2106732

Youth Summit participants distribute teen driver advice cards

November 16, 2016 Schuylkill County high school students have not given up on preparing fellow young drivers before they get behind the wheel. A few years ago, students participating in the annual Schuylkill County Youth Summit made getting drivers’ education back in all the schools their priority. However, they were limited by lack of funding for such a project. Students involved in this year’s Youth Summit have found a way to help prepare new drivers for their first accident by putting that information on cards they can keep with their license. “When you get into an accident, it is very overwhelming,” Tyler Zimerofsky, a senior at Nativity BVM High School and member of the Youth Summit executive committee, said. “This puts the things you need to do on paper and gives you concrete steps to take.” The Youth Summit paid for the printing of 10,000 cards through donations and contributions from local partners. They will distribute them to schools, organizations, businesses, restaurants and other places teenagers may hang out… By Mark Gilger Jr. to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/youth-summit-participants-distribute-teen-driver-advice-cards-1.2118302

Gillingham plans Bunker Hill beautification project

December 18, 2016 According to Nicolle M. Hutchinson, Gillingham’s CEO and director of education, a group of its students are planning to beautify a section of the city’s Bunker Hill section. “The students participating in the Youth Summit have been asked by the commissioners to come up with ideas to make a difference in the county. They also survey them every year to see what are the needs based on the eyes of the youth,” Hutchinson said Thursday at a meeting of the charter school’s board of trustees. She was referring to the annual Schuylkill County Youth Summit. “Our Youth Summit team is going to beautiful Bunker Hill because we use it so much. And we’re going to see if other classes want to help with that and help the Youth Summit team,” Hutchinson said… By Stephen J. Pytak to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/gillingham-plans-bunker-hill-beautification-project-1.2131595

Schuylkill County Youth Summit to enter 5th year

February 28, 2017 SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — The fifth annual Schuylkill County Youth Summit will be held March 10 in the auditorium at Penn State Schuylkill. More than 100 students from 16 schools will meet to discuss housing, public safety, education and the environment, and plan projects for their communities from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Commissioner Gary J. Hess said. “We wanted to engage the students and we have definitely done that,” Hess, who spearheaded the program five years ago, said last week. “I think they know what issues are out there in the community, how change occurs, that change doesn’t occur overnight, and if you see a challenge and you work together that things can change. Through this summit, it definitely got the students to talk about their concerns with the leaders in the community. There is still some work that needs to be done.”… By Mark Gilger Jr. to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/schuylkill-county-youth-summit-to-enter-5th-year-1.2160648

Youth Summit postponed

March 11, 2017 The Schuylkill County Youth Summit was canceled Friday and will now take place May 15. The fifth annual event at Penn State Schuylkill was postponed due to weather conditions and delays at several area school districts. More than 100 students from 16 schools will meet at this year’s event to discuss quality of life topics and plan projects for their communities… By Mark Gilger Jr. to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/youth-summit-postponed-1.2166639

Pottsville Area students form Blight Club, plan park project

April 11, 2017 POTTSVILLE — The blight task force that the city assembled in April 2012 has inspired a group of students from Pottsville Area School District to put together their own neighborhood improvement initiative. “We’re calling it the Blight Club,” Angela Eckert, a junior at Pottsville Area, said at the city council’s April meeting Monday at City Hall. “It is actually the Schuylkill County Youth Summit group,” Adrian Portland, head teacher in the Pottsville Area High School science department, said… By Stephen J. Pytak to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/pottsville-area-students-form-blight-club-plan-park-project-1.2178870

Youth Summit: Students float ideas for changes in county

May 16, 2017 SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — More than 100 high school students gathered Monday at Penn State Schuylkill with one goal: make Schuylkill County better. That’s how Commissioner Gary J. Hess described the fifth annual Youth Summit, which was postponed until Monday due to the March snowstorm. “I think there are some fantastic ideas coming from the students,” Hess, who spearheaded the project five years ago, said. “They are on top of the main issues in the county today and they want to make a change.” Nearly 3,000 students identified the four areas they wanted to concentrate on this year through an online survey late last year. They were asked to rank 12 quality of life topics based on importance to them… By Mark Gilger Jr. to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/youth-summit-students-float-ideas-for-changes-in-county-1.2193248

2017/2018

Schuylkill County Youth Summit looks at combatting drug epidemic

March 24, 2018 SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Fighting the opioid epidemic and other drug and alcohol abuse requires youths to spread the word to other youths, a recovering addict told more than 100 people assembled Friday for the Schuylkill County Youth Summit. “You have a voice. Use it,” Zandra Saunders, 37, of Shenandoah, said during the summit at Penn State Schuylkill. The young people at the summit took Saunders’ advice, designing and developing models for a social media campaign to be used this summer to combat drug abuse across the county. “We’re all in this together,” Olivia Lattanzi, a Tamaqua Area High School student, said… By Peter E. Bortner to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/schuylkill-county-youth-summit-looks-at-combatting-drug-epidemic-1.2317691

2018/2019

County commissioner boosts youth summit

January 24, 2019 POTTSVILLE — Schuylkill County’s young people need to continue to be involved in the fight against opioids and other issues that affect them, Commissioner Gary J. Hess said Wednesday in promoting a session he believes will do that. “The kids don’t want to be dictated to,” Hess said in talking about the Student Ambassadors work session, scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday at the Salvation Army, Pottsville. “It’s their thing.” In turn, the Student Ambassadors also will prepare for the county’s annual Youth Summit, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 11 at Penn State Schuylkill. While the opioid crisis will be the leading item on the agenda, Hess said those attending the work session also will be concerned with other matters. “They’re also working on a website,” Hess said. “They’ll all be linked together.”… By Peter E. Bortner to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/county-commissioner-boosts-youth-summit-1.2436921

7th annual Schuylkill youth summit to be held April 11

April 3, 2019 The Schuylkill County Commissioners will convene the seventh annual Schuylkill County Youth Summit on April 11 at Penn State Schuylkill. Every year, the summit continues to develop its basic mission to engage, equip and support our youth for the future. The summit will gather youth from all county high schools to engage them in making the county a better place for them to live, work, play and raise their families. This year’s summit will wrap up work on the opioid epidemic in Schuylkill County and introduce “Positive Schuylkill.” Students live every day with the results of the drug epidemic in their communities. They are working on prevention strategies this year in three areas: drug take back days, school programs and social media. The youth ambassadors have been meeting every month with government officials, school advocates, prevention specialists, and others to understand the scope of the problem in the county. They have chosen several approaches that they will share with the gathering… To read full article click here https://www.tnonline.com/7th-annual-schuylkill-youth-summit-be-held-april-11

Schuylkill youth meet at summit to plan future

February 27, 2019 What would you think of an organization which, in a year’s time, held blood drives, wrote letters to soldiers, participated in county cleanups, conducted toy drives for hospitalized children, collected food and supplies for animal shelters, read books to elementary students and sang to entertain people at a senior center? Maybe you’d be surprised to know that the people with those helping hands are high school students. They are members of the Schuylkill County Youth Summit, a group that held a planning meeting Tuesday at the Salvation Army headquarters, Pottsville. “Here are our assets, the students, right here,” said Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess, a key organizer of the summit, along with Kay Jones, representing Schuylkill County VISION. “This is the start of the desire for volunteerism — learning to look for needs in your area and customize the response to what’s needed.” “Schuylkill County has always made progress by reinventing itself,” Hess added. “It’s important to engage our youth — ask them, you tell us what should be done and how we should do it.”… By Lisa Price to read full article click here https://www.tnonline.com/schuylkill-youth-meet-summit-plan-future Students discuss the future of Schuylkill County at Youth Summit April 11, 2019 (WBRE/ WYOU)- In Schuylkill County today there was a conversation about the future direction of the region. But this time, it was school-aged kids offering the ideas. “I’m at least doing my part to make the county a better place for everyone,” Olivia Lattanzi, co-chair of Schuylkill County Youth Summit said. Most days, Olivia Lattanzi would be sitting in a classroom at Tamaqua High School. But on this days, he and other high schoolers across the county met with local business leaders to discuss ways build up the county. “Our project has been with the Opioid Epidemic…It’s something that has been plugging this area so if we address this hopefully it will somewhat make Schuylkill County a place people would want to come back to,” lattanzi said… To read more and watch news clip click here https://www.pahomepage.com/news/students-discuss-the-future-of-schuylkill-county-at-youth-summit/

Youth Summit addresses opioids, county’s future

April 12, 2019 SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — They’d like to see a trampoline park, a movie theater and a new teen hangout. In the meantime, high school students participating in the seventh annual Schuylkill County Youth Summit on Thursday took stock of how they’re addressing the opioid epidemic in the county, while looking forward to the county’s future. Schuylkill County students are making a difference in stemming drug addiction, Sheriff Joseph G. Groody said. It was positive news for participants, who will focus on their newest mission, “Positive Schuylkill: Live, Work and Play.” “Community involvement is so important and this is one way to let the youth have a voice,” Maddy Yeager, a Schuylkill Haven Area senior and member of the summit’s executive board, said. About 100 high school students convened at Penn State Schuylkill for the event, coordinated through Schuylkill County’s VISION. Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary L. Hess, who helped launch the summit, and commissioner Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr. welcomed students, cheered their efforts and thanked sponsors for their support… By Vicki Terwilliger to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/news/youth-summit-addresses-opioids-county-s-future-1.2469250

Youth Summit prompts teens’ input

April 30, 2019 To the Editor:
“People do care about how we grow up” was a response to the question of the most meaningful part of the Youth Summit held April 11, 2019.
The accumulation of a year of exploring concerns that capture the attention of youth in area schools, the Youth Summit ended another successful and high energy year thanks to county Commissioner Gary Hess and the staff of Schuylkill County’s VISION. By coming together, youth learned the benefit of listening and sharing:… By Jane Kruse to read full article click here https://www.republicanherald.com/opinion/letters/youth-summit-prompts-teens-input-1.2476237