Summer Youth Facilitator Institute 2013

What happens when youth lead their peers in discussions of issues impacting D.C. youth? Three CE students – Anaise A., Malik T., and Khadijah W. – partnered with our program staff to co-facilitate our 6-week summer programs* to find out.

Each student-and-staff pair traveled to a site twice per week to facilitate CE’s curriculum with other high school-aged youth. At the end of each week, the entire team met to evaluate how classes went, troubleshoot challenges, and discuss college-level readings on topics related to the program. In total, each Summer Youth Facilitator worked with our staff for over 150 hours. This constant cycle of preparation, implementation, and reflection led to a new level of student leadership. 

The students’ success as facilitators and leaders shows that young people are ready and able to foster critical dialogue amongst their peers about pressing issues that impact youth.

*Our summer program partners included D.C. Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI), Cathedral Scholars Program and Guerilla Arts.

Read below to learn about each Facilitator's reflections on the experience (must have an up-to-date Flash player).