A Recap of the 9th Annual Youth Summit

The 9th Annual Youth Summit (a free conference for people with disabilities age 15-30 sponsored by the Florida Youth Council) was held from last Friday afternoon to Saturday night at the Florida Hotel & Conference Center in Orlando. The summit kicked off with a speech from Dorian Willes, a bobsled/skeleton racer whose right leg was partially amputated. Friday night ended with a screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in keeping with the summit's Star Wars theme.

After a speech about self-advocacy by James Williams (an author with autism) on Saturday, the summit attendees were treated to a delicious buffet lunch. In the afternoon, there were three rounds of breakout sessions on topics such as positive thinking, social interaction skills, and Vocational Rehabilitation. The summit concluded with a dance party at which door prizes were given away.

The Annual Youth Summit encourages its attendees to be confident, productive adults with disabilities. Since I'm 30, this was my last summit, but I went away from it with happy memories. For more information about the Florida Youth Council and its Annual Youth Summit, go to www.floridayouthcouncil.com.

 

I at the Youth Summit