Members of Team F.R.E.S.H. and TADA of BOLD participated in a second half-day Youth Summit Training on April 23 2008, at the Veterans' Memorial on Bank Street in preparation for the 2008 Youth Summit to be held on May 8th at White's Restaurant. The annual event is entirely youth-led and will bring about 100 youth and adult leaders from B.M.C. Durfee High School, Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Bishop Connolly High School and Fall River middle schools to identify and develop goals for youth development using the Five Promises of the America’s Promise Alliance as a structure. Teen Empowerment consultants Gina San Inocencio and Sapna Padte led the group through skill development exercises to prepare them to run the Forum later in the spring. Click here to see photos of an earlier training in January 2008. For more information about Team F.R.E.S.H. or the Forum, contact Youth Services Coordinator Christian McCloskey at 508-324-2419. Fall River was designated one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People in America earlier this year.
 

(Top row, left) Gina San Inocencio walks the group through the schedule of events for the May 8th Summit. (Top row, center) Mackenzie Belmore, Leeara Hunt, Tatiyana Smith, Holly Santos and Nick Farias listen as Sapna Padte talks about the responsibilities of each team in leading youth through the break-out sessions at the Summit in May. (Middle row, right) Youth Services Coordinator Christian McCloskey divides the group into teams for each of the Five Promises. (Bottom row, left) Tim LePage, Justin Matton and Isaiah Darby work on the 4th Promise, Marketable Skills Through Effective Education. (Bottom row, center) America's Promise Fellow Ine Ogagan works with Holly Santos, Jillian Mello and Nick Farias on the 5th Promise, Opportunities to Serve. (Bottom row, right) Linda Rim, Mei You Fong and Catherine Cabral work on the 1st Promise, Caring Adults.