Nancy Pena-Brink, Joe Brink, Nicole Brink and Jose Pena represented the Michael Joseph Brink Foundation at the Palm Beach County Youth Summit on Saturday, April 22, 2017. This year’s Youth Summit entitled “Open Your Mind” was attended by almost 500 teens who learned about Social Anxiety & Peer Pressure Among Youth, Dream Snatchers, Cyber-Bullying, Cultural Competency, Healthy Relationships, Building Bridges with Law Enforcement, Domestic Violence & Self Esteem, the Truth About Marijuana & Alcohol and Workforce, College, & Then There’s the Military.
While Joe, Nicole and Jose manned the vendor booth and spoke to students about our new Robotics Clubs and Teen Leadership Mastermind Training, Nancy who was a member of the planning committee for the Youth Summit worked in registration and facilitated in the Adventure Team Building Exercise.
The main speaker was Deena Hayes-Greene an education advocate and school commissioner from Greensboro, NC who delivered an informative and passionate presentation that was greatly enjoyed by the students. The speakers at the breakout sessions were also successful with the teens. Some of the breakout sessions were packed. Two interactive events received a great deal of praise, Think Fast and the Adventure Team Building Exercise. The students felt they learned and had fun especially on the Team Building Exercise.
The Michael Joseph Brink Foundation was also successful in introducing two programs the Robotics Clubs and the Teen Leadership Mastermind Training. Many of the students obtained registration forms. The leadership program begins this summer and the robotics clubs begin in the fall.
MJBF worked together with Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, Palm Beach County Substance Awareness Coalition, Palm Beach County School District and School Police, City of West Palm Beach Youth Empowerment Center, Urban League, Attorney General, West Palm Beach Police Department, Molina Healthcare, the Department of Children and Families, Palm Beach Youth Services, and many other community organizations to make this year super successful.