On Thursday, June 30, 2011 Youth Service, Inc. (YSI) hosted its annual “You Are Extraordinary” Teen Conference. Held at The View in North Philadelphia, the event drew more than 115 teens from all over the city and featured a variety of engaging speakers and sessions. Workshops included “What Guys Want You To Know,” “STD/HIV Realities,” and “Sex: The Part They Don’t Tell You About,” and focused on some of the issues that are most important to teens, including sexual health, relationships, and bullying.
The conference was opened by YSI Executive Director Gwendolyn A. Bailey, who welcomed the attendees to the event. Speaking later about the conference, Ms. Bailey said “With so many negative influences and far too few supportive mentors in schools, the community, and the home, it is essential that teens have an avenue for constructive dialogue about sexual health. The teens who attended today learned vital information, asked important questions, and got to say what was on their mind.”
Ms. Bailey continued, “By providing this forum we set them in the direction of making healthy choices and finding the resources and support they need. That commmitment to providing young people with the tools they need to be healthy and self-sufficient is what the conference and YSI are all about.”
The “You Are Extraordinary” Teen Conference is an annual event coordinated by Youth Emergency Service (YES), a program of YSI. YES is the largest shelter in the area for homeless and runaway teens, and provides educational, medical, mental health, and social service support to the youth who live there temporarily. Be sure to look out for information about next year’s conference, which YSI hopes will be bigger and better than ever before.
You can find more information about Youth Emergency Service on the Programs page of our site. Contact Marketing Coordinator Adam Safer at 215-222-3262 x19 or by email at asafer@ysiphila.org with questions about the event.