Guest Speaker at Empowerment Luncheon

The Civil Rights Heritage Center, Indiana University South Bend Office of Campus Diversity, Northern Indiana Workforce Investment Board Youth Council and the Twenty-first Century Scholars program, are sponsoring an empowerment luncheon for school administrators, youth program staff, youth ministers, parents and community members concerned about the future of our young people.

Re-energize Your Commitment! Together… Achieving Educational Success in the 21st Century is set from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 13, at Indiana University South Bend, Student Activities Center. The workshop facilitator is Hasan Davis, founder and director of Youth Empowerment Solutions of Berea, Ky., a national expert in the field of youth development and empowerment. Inspirational, humorous and motivating, Davis leaves his audience re-energized and with a new perspective on meeting the challenges of working with today's youth.

Part storyteller, part performer, Davis was the keynote speaker for the opening session of the Indiana Youth Institute Youth Conference in November 2004. He uses his work to create an environment for "new learning" where all people can succeed. With more than 15 years as a facilitator and trainer, he has developed programs for government, corporate and non-profit agencies in the areas of youth development, leadership, team building, cultural competency and conflict management.

Diagnosed with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder at age 11, he went on to graduate form Berea College and the University of Kentucky Law School. Among his many honors was his selection as a Rockefeller Foundation Next Generation Leadership Fellow and his appointment to the Federal Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee in 2004.

The registration fee is $15 and covers the cost of lunch and workshop materials. To register, call the Twenty-first Century Scholars office at (574) 239-2390 ext. 210. Deadline for the lunch reservation is May 11.

The Twenty-first Century Scholars program is the Indiana's early college preparation and tuition scholarship program for low to moderate income college students. Scholars take a pledge of good citizenship that promotes high school graduation and discourages youth drug and alcohol abuse and criminal activity. Scholars, who fulfill their pledge of good citizenship to the state, are eligible to receive the cost of four years of college tuition at any public college or university in Indiana. If the student attends a private college or university, the scholarship awarded will be an amount comparable to tuition at a public school. Twenty-first Century Scholars has received a federal GEAR-UP program grant. The grants are given to increase awareness and preparation for post-secondary education.

Contact: Nikki Hutchinson

Twenty-first Century Scholars

401 E. Colfax, Suite 307

South Bend, IN 46617

Phone:(574) 239-2380 ext. 254

Fax: (574) 239-2386

Email: nikkih@niwib.com