Inaugural N.C. Youth and Families Summit draws hundreds
U.S. Assistant Surgeon Gen. Weaver (right) fields a question.
Photo Courtesy Pamela Allen
Nearly 360 youth and family professionals from across North Carolina participated in the first North Carolina Summit on Youth and Families, a two-day event packed with workshops and special lectures focused on three key areas: education, health and the economy.
The College’s Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences, along with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, convened the summit, held Dec. 4-5, to address key issues facing youth and families.
“Our goal for this summit was to get leaders in education, government, business and communities talking about these issues,” said Dr. Marshall Stewart, head of the 4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences Department. “Our department is uniquely positioned to facilitate discussion and collaboration among these groups, many of whom might not otherwise have opportunities to gather in the same room.”
The summit featured workshops on myriad topics, ranging from physical fitness to entrepreneurship, from supporting the state’s Latino population to school violence prevention.
Delivering the workshops were representatives from a number of different organizations, including the North Carolina Rural Center, the Public School Forum of North Carolina, the Center for New North Carolinians, AmeriCorps, the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and AARP North Carolina, among many others.
The summit, sponsored by the Cofer Family Endowment at N.C. State University, also featured a keynote address by Dr. Donald Weaver, U.S. assistant surgeon general.
Weaver delivered a talk on the nation’s health crisis and challenged the audience to consider, “What can each of us do to improve the health of the nation, our communities, our families?”
He dissected recent national health headlines, revealing that with issues ranging from childhood obesity to second-hand smoke, the bottom line is the same: there’s a lot to be done.
“We need to strengthen the connection between research, policy and practice,” he said. “Health care is local. Access to health care is critical. I believe that everyone in this great land of ours deserves access to a health care home.
“Each of you plays a role in the common goal of improving health in our communities.”
— Suzanne Stanard
The College’s Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences, along with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, convened the summit, held Dec. 4-5, to address key issues facing youth and families.
“Our goal for this summit was to get leaders in education, government, business and communities talking about these issues,” said Dr. Marshall Stewart, head of the 4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences Department. “Our department is uniquely positioned to facilitate discussion and collaboration among these groups, many of whom might not otherwise have opportunities to gather in the same room.”
The summit featured workshops on myriad topics, ranging from physical fitness to entrepreneurship, from supporting the state’s Latino population to school violence prevention.
Delivering the workshops were representatives from a number of different organizations, including the North Carolina Rural Center, the Public School Forum of North Carolina, the Center for New North Carolinians, AmeriCorps, the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and AARP North Carolina, among many others.
The summit, sponsored by the Cofer Family Endowment at N.C. State University, also featured a keynote address by Dr. Donald Weaver, U.S. assistant surgeon general.
Weaver delivered a talk on the nation’s health crisis and challenged the audience to consider, “What can each of us do to improve the health of the nation, our communities, our families?”
He dissected recent national health headlines, revealing that with issues ranging from childhood obesity to second-hand smoke, the bottom line is the same: there’s a lot to be done.
“We need to strengthen the connection between research, policy and practice,” he said. “Health care is local. Access to health care is critical. I believe that everyone in this great land of ours deserves access to a health care home.
“Each of you plays a role in the common goal of improving health in our communities.”
— Suzanne Stanard