Welcome to the Youth Peace Conference! We are an annual student-run social justice and
community building summit held in Maryland for students in grades 8-12.
The 5th Youth Peace Conference, organized by a group of Howard County youth activists,
will be held online due to the risk of COVID-19.
community building summit held in Maryland for students in grades 8-12.
The 5th Youth Peace Conference, organized by a group of Howard County youth activists,
will be held online due to the risk of COVID-19.
youth Activism: resistance and radical reform
Saturday, April 10th, 2021
Find out more about the 2021 online conference below and register here: https://bit.ly/3s1nNRC
More about the 2021 theme:
The theme "Resistance and Radical Reform" is most pressing and relevant now more than ever,
as youth are coming together across the world to organize in support of causes and movements
such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for environmental awareness, among many others.
Youth are demanding that broken, oppressive systems be rebuilt and reformed.
At the 2021 Youth Peace Conference, students will gain resources on how to peacefully organize,
resist injustice, and create change within their communities.
The theme "Resistance and Radical Reform" is most pressing and relevant now more than ever,
as youth are coming together across the world to organize in support of causes and movements
such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for environmental awareness, among many others.
Youth are demanding that broken, oppressive systems be rebuilt and reformed.
At the 2021 Youth Peace Conference, students will gain resources on how to peacefully organize,
resist injustice, and create change within their communities.
Current Schedule for the upcoming Youth Peace Conference:
Conference Date and Time: Saturday, April 10th, 2021, from 9:15 AM-4:30 PM
*Each session will be 40 minutes long with time for discussion included, and there will be ten minute breaks between each session and an hour long lunch break in the middle of the day. Specific session times can be found below.
(9:15 AM): Conference Introduction, Overview of the Day, and Welcome
Session One (9:30-10:10 AM): Youtheoria
Session Two (10:20-11:00 AM): Fridays For Future Digital
Keynote Speaker (11:10 -11:50 AM): Zach Koung
Lunch Break (11:50 AM-12:50 PM)
Session Three (12:50-1:30 PM): MoCo (Montgomery County) Students For Change
Session Four (1:40-2:20 PM): Antiracist HOCO (Howard County)
Session Five (2:30-3:10 PM): Minority Scholars Program
Session Six (3:20-4:00 PM): Upāsikā Miss tree turtle meditation
(4:00-4:30 PM) Closing Circle with YPC Team
Conference Date and Time: Saturday, April 10th, 2021, from 9:15 AM-4:30 PM
*Each session will be 40 minutes long with time for discussion included, and there will be ten minute breaks between each session and an hour long lunch break in the middle of the day. Specific session times can be found below.
(9:15 AM): Conference Introduction, Overview of the Day, and Welcome
Session One (9:30-10:10 AM): Youtheoria
Session Two (10:20-11:00 AM): Fridays For Future Digital
Keynote Speaker (11:10 -11:50 AM): Zach Koung
Lunch Break (11:50 AM-12:50 PM)
Session Three (12:50-1:30 PM): MoCo (Montgomery County) Students For Change
Session Four (1:40-2:20 PM): Antiracist HOCO (Howard County)
Session Five (2:30-3:10 PM): Minority Scholars Program
Session Six (3:20-4:00 PM): Upāsikā Miss tree turtle meditation
(4:00-4:30 PM) Closing Circle with YPC Team
More About the 2021 Session Presenters
Youtheoria
Youtheoria (conference session one) creates student-led discussions, advocacy projects, and virtual workshops with young activists from across the globe. Through their efforts, they challenge assumptions, discover perspectives, and foster community. Youtheoria has led countless critical discussions on topics concerning racial justice, climate change, and advocacy skills, and has many chapters around the world. One of the many ongoing projects created by the Youtheoria team is the Student Action Archive, where youth activists can share their own experiences with advocacy. To learn more about the organization presenting during session one, click here.
Fridays For Future Digital
Fridays For Future (FFF) Digital (conference session two) is an ever growing movement of digital protesting, meant to include those who cannot physically strike with Fridays For Future and to continue climate advocacy on all platforms. Part of their aims are to ensure climate justice and equity and unite behind the best science available through campaigns. They hold weekly actions, helping local climate justice groups launch effective digital campaigns and have clear and specific goals in order to stop the damaging effects of climate change and lack of environmental awareness across the world. To learn more about the organization presenting during session two, click here.
Keynote Speaker Zach Koung
As a student leader and activist, Zach has used his voice on behalf of the diverse student body of Howard County to ensure that they are truly heard and accurately represented within the school system. He advocates for racial justice, LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum, and for reform of outdated systems. This, as well as his past and ongoing advocacy efforts, makes him the ideal speaker for the Youth Peace Conference. We are so excited to announce him as the keynote of the 2021 conference!
MoCo Students For Change
Montgomery County (MoCo) Students For Change (conference session three), previously known as “MoCo Students For Gun Control,” is an all youth organization which mobilizes Montgomery County students to focus on pressing issues including gun violence prevention, climate reform, and social equity. The organization was founded by student activists in Montgomery County following the Parkland, Florida massacre in 2018. The same year, MoCo For Change activists mobilized thousands of students from dozens of schools across the DMV area to rally against gun violence. This act of protest led to media attention on a national scale for the MoCo Students For Change. Through innovative activism and advocacy efforts, they create real and positive change. To learn more about the organization presenting during session three, click here.
Antiracist HOCO
Antiracist HOCO (session four) is a grassroots coalition advocating for educational change. Antiracist HOCO members focus on implementing anti-racism practices within the Howard County Public School System and on making the school environment truly safe, welcoming, and inclusive of all students. The coalition is a mostly student-led effort, organized by HCPSS alumni with student volunteers. Through their common goals and vision, Antiracist HOCO has truly made, and continues to make, an impact on the school and student community. To learn more about the organization presenting during session four, click here.
Minority Scholars Program
The Minority Scholars Program (MSP) is a student led and student based program (conference session five). Their aim is to close the opportunity gaps present due to race, gender, class, and/or ethnicity. The MSP strives to create change within school communities so that there are no longer any barriers preventing students from reaching their goals. Their aims are to raise students' voices, improve academic achievement, develop student leaders, enhance cultural capital and a sense of belonging, and to reach out to their community. Some of the programs they have initiated include speaker series, peer-to-peer tutoring/mentoring programs, college visits, and community outreach. To learn more about the scholars presenting about the Minority Scholars Program during session five of the conference, click here.
Upāsikā Miss tree turtle meditation
True peace and nonviolence begins with a pause. This contemplative pause is a conscious moment of active breathing in which we ground ourselves within the calm of the present-moment and focus ourselves on compassion for self and others regardless of the circumstance, conflict, or crisis. This pause of deep, contemplative, compassionate, breath-activated calm and focus is the essence of mindfulness. Mindfulness is an ancient collection of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern practices for the cultivation of mindsets in which we depend on and uplift each other to feel good and be great. In the final moments of the conference, Upāsikā Miss tree turtle, the Director (CEO) of the Baltimore Wisdom Project, guides us through three forms of mindfulness (with gesture, with breath-patterning, and with sound) as we pause and reflect on the knowledge and skills that we have gathered during the day to cultivate lasting peace.
Closing Circle
After the last conference session, the YPC team encourages attendees to stick around to chat about how they're feeling after attending the sessions mentioned above as well as what they took away from the conference day.
Youtheoria
Youtheoria (conference session one) creates student-led discussions, advocacy projects, and virtual workshops with young activists from across the globe. Through their efforts, they challenge assumptions, discover perspectives, and foster community. Youtheoria has led countless critical discussions on topics concerning racial justice, climate change, and advocacy skills, and has many chapters around the world. One of the many ongoing projects created by the Youtheoria team is the Student Action Archive, where youth activists can share their own experiences with advocacy. To learn more about the organization presenting during session one, click here.
Fridays For Future Digital
Fridays For Future (FFF) Digital (conference session two) is an ever growing movement of digital protesting, meant to include those who cannot physically strike with Fridays For Future and to continue climate advocacy on all platforms. Part of their aims are to ensure climate justice and equity and unite behind the best science available through campaigns. They hold weekly actions, helping local climate justice groups launch effective digital campaigns and have clear and specific goals in order to stop the damaging effects of climate change and lack of environmental awareness across the world. To learn more about the organization presenting during session two, click here.
Keynote Speaker Zach Koung
As a student leader and activist, Zach has used his voice on behalf of the diverse student body of Howard County to ensure that they are truly heard and accurately represented within the school system. He advocates for racial justice, LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum, and for reform of outdated systems. This, as well as his past and ongoing advocacy efforts, makes him the ideal speaker for the Youth Peace Conference. We are so excited to announce him as the keynote of the 2021 conference!
MoCo Students For Change
Montgomery County (MoCo) Students For Change (conference session three), previously known as “MoCo Students For Gun Control,” is an all youth organization which mobilizes Montgomery County students to focus on pressing issues including gun violence prevention, climate reform, and social equity. The organization was founded by student activists in Montgomery County following the Parkland, Florida massacre in 2018. The same year, MoCo For Change activists mobilized thousands of students from dozens of schools across the DMV area to rally against gun violence. This act of protest led to media attention on a national scale for the MoCo Students For Change. Through innovative activism and advocacy efforts, they create real and positive change. To learn more about the organization presenting during session three, click here.
Antiracist HOCO
Antiracist HOCO (session four) is a grassroots coalition advocating for educational change. Antiracist HOCO members focus on implementing anti-racism practices within the Howard County Public School System and on making the school environment truly safe, welcoming, and inclusive of all students. The coalition is a mostly student-led effort, organized by HCPSS alumni with student volunteers. Through their common goals and vision, Antiracist HOCO has truly made, and continues to make, an impact on the school and student community. To learn more about the organization presenting during session four, click here.
Minority Scholars Program
The Minority Scholars Program (MSP) is a student led and student based program (conference session five). Their aim is to close the opportunity gaps present due to race, gender, class, and/or ethnicity. The MSP strives to create change within school communities so that there are no longer any barriers preventing students from reaching their goals. Their aims are to raise students' voices, improve academic achievement, develop student leaders, enhance cultural capital and a sense of belonging, and to reach out to their community. Some of the programs they have initiated include speaker series, peer-to-peer tutoring/mentoring programs, college visits, and community outreach. To learn more about the scholars presenting about the Minority Scholars Program during session five of the conference, click here.
Upāsikā Miss tree turtle meditation
True peace and nonviolence begins with a pause. This contemplative pause is a conscious moment of active breathing in which we ground ourselves within the calm of the present-moment and focus ourselves on compassion for self and others regardless of the circumstance, conflict, or crisis. This pause of deep, contemplative, compassionate, breath-activated calm and focus is the essence of mindfulness. Mindfulness is an ancient collection of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern practices for the cultivation of mindsets in which we depend on and uplift each other to feel good and be great. In the final moments of the conference, Upāsikā Miss tree turtle, the Director (CEO) of the Baltimore Wisdom Project, guides us through three forms of mindfulness (with gesture, with breath-patterning, and with sound) as we pause and reflect on the knowledge and skills that we have gathered during the day to cultivate lasting peace.
Closing Circle
After the last conference session, the YPC team encourages attendees to stick around to chat about how they're feeling after attending the sessions mentioned above as well as what they took away from the conference day.
The goals of the 5th Youth Peace Conference are to emphasize the importance of intersectional youth advocacy and activism, provide youth with the information and tools they need for civic action and organization among a variety of topics, and create a sense of community among attendees and presenters.
