Refugee Youth Power Summit

A powerful group of refugee high schoolers in Providence, Rhode Island, former and current students in  BRYTE's academic tutoring and youth development program, are coming together to create a space for political organizing by and for themselves, refugee youth. With the support of  experienced program coordinators in BRYTE,  they are planning an unprecedented and incredibly needed event that will take place this August: The Refugee Youth Power Summit. 

The Refugee Youth Power Summit is a one-week intensive program for refugee youth who are or will be in high school in 2017. The summit, which will take place from August 9th to 16th,  has three main goals: to bring together young leaders in the refugee community, to cultivate critical ideas and tools necessary for creating social change, and finally to engage in collective advocacy and action.  

In the mornings, participants will reflect on their lives and experiences, study the realities of systemic injustice in our society, get inspired by the stories of activists throughout history that changed the world, and develop tools for making social change.  

In the afternoons, participants will use all of these lessons and skills in the "Making Justice Workshop" where they will design and execute a political campaign/project that addresses a key issue they identify in their community.

Our hope is that, more than an one-off event, the summit will be the jumping off point for a larger refugee youth organizing collective that does year-round organizing and advocacy work in Providence.  For 10 years, BRYTE has served several hundred refugee youth through a comprehensive one-on-one, in-home tutoring program, and a fun and engaging summer camp. We feel that now is the time to add a third arm to what we do: refugee youth organizing and leadership development.  We believe this summit is the first critical step towards the creation of that arm or programming. 

We are currently looking for funds to pay for space rental, food, materials, youth stipends, and facilitator stipends. Any amount of money will go a long way towards making this summit the best that it can be! 

Now more than ever, supporting the political empowerment of young people who are marginalized in our society is crucial. THANK YOU for giving what you can to our new movement!

"Ever since I was young, I knew that I wanted to make the world a better place. I saw death, poverty, war, and hatred and I wanted to make it a happy and loving place. As I got older, I learned that I couldn't change the world all by myself. I learned that if I wished to change the world, I'd have to be able to change with my community and those around me. I truly believe that I can change the world, but not by myself. Having help from others and teaching others how to bring change with those around them is what will help spread love. This Summit is a way to being to bring that change in our communities. It will be a big step towards to bettering the world because it will teach youth how to become leaders in our community and how stand up for what they believe in. This is why I want to make the summit happen."

- Francois, 9th Grade, Summit Organizer