Breaking the silence (find your voice youth summit)

Over the past year I have been organizing a youth summit that targeted the face of violence in community. At the conclusion of the summit I realized that I wanted this to be an ongoing project, one that equips our young people and their famiies in how they can address the face of violence in their communities and how they can speak up and find solutions. Violence comes in many shapes, forms and by many names but the common factor is that lives are affected, people are harmed, and it comes with devastating consequences. I want to help to reshape the face of violence by empowering our young people and transforming our communities. The youth summit brought together youth and adults from communities throughout Hawaii, New Zealand, Boston & Oakland. Each of our communities had a different face of violence that affected our lives, however together we found common ground and provided our young people with resources to find their voice and break the silence. I may not be able to see a huge difference all at once but I'm willing to do it one life at a time. I may never know the difference it has made, I may never know how much people have benefited and been affected by this project, yet still this is my way of giving back and providing a safer place for young people.