October 4th -6th 2009 ** Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska
Teens Acting Against Violence (T.
A.A.V) members Kisha Lee, Maya Morris, and Cynthia Andrew attended and served as presenters at the 2nd Annual Lead On! For Peace and Equality conference. Lead On! is a conference that unites youth leaders with community partners to develop projects to promote peace and equality in each of their home communities. At the conference T.A.A.V members participated in numerous workshops involving theatre, art and media to improve their leadership skills. Nationally acclaimed speakers like Courtney Macavinta, Gene Tagaban, Oscar Degruy and Ellen Frankenstein also served as inspiration to create positive change in the world.
One of the highlights of the conference was attending workshops and performances by The Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company (DAYPC). DAYPC is a multicultural teen group from Oakland, California that creates original performance arts pieces using song and rap, hip hop, modern, and aerial dance, martial arts, and theatre. “The Destiny Arts group was my most favorite part of the conference because they were good dancers, had a lot of talent, and taught me the five fingers of non-violence, ” said Cynthia A
ndrew.
During the conference T.A.A.V members also did a 20 minute presentation about conducting violence prevention work in the Yukon-Delta. Presenting proved to be an empowering experience for T.A.A.V member Maya Morris, “Although I felt nervous to present, afterward I was proud”. Overall Lead On! was a wonderful experience. T.A.A.V is currently integrating their new knowledge and resources gained at the conference into their violence prevention program. Stay tuned for updates!
