Youth Career Summit and Partners Help Displaced Hurricane Students By Rosalie Lane, Extension Housing & Urban CRD Specialist

Each year the Youth Career Summit, sponsored by Extension's Urban Affairs & New Nontraditional Programs Unit and public and private partners, meet at local colleges and trade schools in the Huntsville area. The Summit's mission is to introduce female teens in grades 11 and 12 to high paying nontraditional careers in technology, science, Many of these students come from low-income families and have not considered any career plans past high school. The Summit also provides professional college tract information to college bound students.

The 2005 Youth Career Summit was hosted by Virginia College in Huntsville on October 27. The young ladies attended mini seminars and a closing keynote address conducted by professional women physicists, electrical and aerospace engineers, school administrators, and local entrepreneurs. In addition, each student received a canvas bag filled with job information, school supplies, and other company giveaways.

This year the Youth Summit coordinator saw the need to allow the young ladies to provide encouragement to fellow students that had been displaced by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Special cards were designed for the Summit students to write personal words of inspiration to displaced students attending senior high school in Huntsville, Decatur, and in Madison County. The hurricane survivors also received a $50.00 gift certificate plus a canvas Summit bag.

The gift certificates were made possible by matching gifts from Target Super Stores; the Youth Career Foundation; the Admissions Office at Alabama A&M University (AAMU); and by Dr. James Shuford, dean of the School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at AAMU.

For more information about the Youth Career Summit, contact Extension Specialist Rosalie Lane at (256) 372-4982.