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 Nearly 500 youth and adults from across the country participated in the 2005 National Youth Summit, "Youth in Action: Making a Difference." The summit, which took place at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC, on July 28–30, 2005, focused on how youth can make a difference in their communities. First Lady Laura Bush served as Honorary Chair of the event. Summit workshops addressed the following topics:
- Youth and public policy.
- Youth and the economy.
- Youth and community service.
- Youth and creativity.
Summit participants—who included faith-based and community leaders, youth-serving
professionals, advocates, policymakers, educators, and youth—explored
ways to build and maintain meaningful partnerships that strengthen communities.
Dignitaries who attended the event included Keynote Speaker Alma Powell, Chair,
America's Promise: The Alliance for Youth, and Mike Leavitt, Secretary, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. Youth speakers included Caitlyn Day
of New Castle, VA, who as a high school senior spearheaded a campaign to raise
funds to build a library in her community. Caitlyn was 1 of 10 students nationwide
to receive the prestigious 2004 Yoshiyama Award for Exemplary Service to the
Community, given annually by The Hitachi Foundation.
The National Youth Summit is an annual event that brings together youth and adults from across the country to celebrate the strengths and accomplishments of America's young people. The 2005 National Youth Summit was planned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Family and Youth Services Bureau in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, and Labor; the Corporation for National and Community Service; and America's Promise: The Alliance for Youth.
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