Youth Worker Leadership Conference

Thank You for Attending the 10th Annual Youth Worker Leadership Conference on March 19th! We hope you obtained new skills that can be applied to work with youth of all abilities, and learned about the range of career opportunities in youth development.

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Sunday, March 19, 2017 • 12:00pm–4:00pm

NYU Kimmel Center for University Life • 60 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10002

• Conference Registration
• Workshop Registration
• Permission Slip

The Youth Worker Leadership Conference is an interactive and exciting event for high school students working with youth of all abilities. On Sunday, March 19, 2017, we will bring together approximately 250 high school-aged youth in the greater New York City area to honor and engage these young professionals. The Youth Worker Leadership Conference will include dynamic speakers, hands-on activities, and workshops, including…

• Creating adaptive dance routines
• Developing activities to enhance children’s social skills
• Using creative and artistic tools to teach
• Yoga and meditation as a tools for stress reduction

The conference is completely free to attend, though advanced registration is requested and a chaperone must attend with students under 18.

Keynote Speaker

Elizabeth Akua-Nyarko Patterson, Founder/ Executive Director, Girls Education Initiative of Ghana
Elizabeth Akua-Nyarko Patterson is the founder and executive director of the Girls Education Initiative of Ghana (GEIG). GEIG's mission is to provide academic and financial support for girls including applicants with special needs, so they may access secondary, higher education, and professional opportunities. Since 2014 GEIG has supported twelve students in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions of Ghana in their transition from basic school to junior high school. Five of the twelve girls are now enrolled in senior high school and the remaining seven will fully transition by the 2017/2018 academic year.

Ms. Patterson holds a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from the NYU Wagner School of Public Service where she specialized in non-profit management. Ms. Patterson's research interests are currently focused on access to education for disabled/differently abled students in K-12 institutions in South Africa and the United States. Ms. Patterson is the 2014 ReconnectGH-Education Entrepreneur, was listed among the 50 most influential people under 40 in Ghana in 2015, presented in 2015 at Tedex Accra, was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community- Kumasi Hub from 2014-2015, and was the 2015 Vlisco Brand Ambassador for Ghana. She is also a 2016 fellow of the Young African Leadership Initiative, Regional Leadership Center-Accra, Yali RLC.

At this conference, you will…

• Build your resume by attending a professional development event
• Obtain new skills that can be applied to your work with youth with all abilities
• Build a community of youth workers who can share best practices with one another
• Learn about a wide range of career opportunities in the youth development field

Made possible through the generosity of the J.E. & Z.B. Butler Foundation and Ramapo for Children in partnership with the McSilver Institute of Poverty and Research at New York University Silver School of Social Work and ReelAbilities Film Festival.