High School Students Invited to Summit

Organizers are expecting more than 300 area high school students Saturday at the San Fernando Valley Youth Organization’s second annual Youth Summit at Cal State Northridge.

The all-day event is intended to help motivate young people to address issues such as alcohol and drug abuse, violence, racism, sexism and HIV/AIDS, said Albert Melena, an advisor to the organization, which has members from San Fernando High in Pacoima, Francis Polytechnic High in Sun Valley, Monroe High in North Hills and private Crespi Carmelite High in Encino.

The 18-member youth group, affiliated with the San Fernando Valley Partnership, works to prevent substance abuse among young people. The members themselves took the lead in organizing the summit, Melena said.

“When we held the summit last year, we had some money from a grant,” Melena said. “This year we didn’t have any money, but the kids took charge. They held car washes, they sent out letters, they kept pushing and they really made it happen.”

Included in the day’s activities will be workshops, forum discussions and speeches by Alfred “Coach” Powell, author of the book “Message in a Bottle,” and Josefa Salinas, KPWR-FM Power 106 disc jockey.

The summit will also feature performances by a Nicaraguan folklorico dance group and Asian Pacific Islander Youth Theater. A dance with DJ Grinch, scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m., will be the event’s final activity.

The summit, which is free and open to all Valley high school students, will be held in CSUN’s Campus Theater. Students interested in attending the workshops must register in advance by calling the San Fernando Valley Partnership at (818) 837-7767, or by arriving at 8 a.m. on Saturday.