The Maine Youth Leadership Conference
Join young people from around the state—middle school, high school, and college-aged youth—for two days of workshops, skill-building, and connection!
This conference is designed by young people for young people and welcomes adult allies. The MYAN Youth Leadership Conference centers around discussions about youth leadership, restorative practices in schools, Black Lives Matter and anti-racism, adolescent mental health & wellness, climate justice, body positivity, LGBTQIA+ support and advocacy, social justice, college and work readiness, school climate (including student voice in education and/or bullying/harassment prevention), and issues that impact youth substance use rates.
The YLC has always been a space for youth from across the state to come together, share their passions, and get the tools they need to achieve their change-making goals. This year, the emphasis remains on meaningful connection and fun! Each young person will be sorted into a HomeTeam when they register. These HomeTeams are made up of a mix of young people from across the state and will meet on several occasions during the conference to provide youth with built-in opportunities for community building.
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WORKSHOPS
Interactive workshops will stretch across the 2-day Conference spanning topics like youth leadership & change-making, racial justice, youth activism, storytelling, restorative justice, climate justice, indigenous rights, disability rights, LGBTQ rights, mental health, substance youth prevention and so much more!
Learn more about this year’s line-up of presenters and workshops:
A HYRBID EVENT
To ensure that this conference is accessible to as many young people as possible, this year’s event will be a hybrid virtual and in-person event so that no one misses out on this event! This means there are two options for attending this year’s conference.
Virtual Conference Platform
We’re using Whova to host the virtual conference. It’s a secure virtual conference platform you’ll use to access workshops and keynotes. More info about how to access the platform will be emailed to all registrants. You can either access Whova from an internet browser or download the app on Apple and Android devices. From there you’ll be able to sign up for specific workshops, make your own profile, access the schedule, and start connecting with other participants!
COVID Vaccination Requirements
Proof of a complete COVID-19 vaccine will be required to attend this event in person. This is a requirement for UMO’s Collin’s Center for the Arts, Maine Youth Action Network, and The Opportunity Alliance events. We acknowledge that this could create a barrier for some youth or adults to be able to attend in person. We are dedicated to making the virtual conference experience engaging, fun, and connected to the in-person event.
FREE ATTENDANCE
Thanks to local partnerships and sponsors, we are excited to offer this year’s conference free of charge for all participants! We hope that eliminating the registration fee for this year’s conference can make the event even more accessible to all interested young people in Maine.
Complete and submit the registration form below to join us:
