“Summit to Success” Featured Everything From Therapy Dogs and Painting to Workshops on Healthy Relationships, Financial Identity, and Civic Engagement
Reynoso’s Inaugural Youth Advisory Council of 20 Brooklyn High Schoolers Organized the Teen Wisdom and Wellness Summit
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BROOKLYN, NY (May 6, 2025) – On Friday, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso welcomed hundreds of Brooklyn high school students to Borough Hall for “Summit to Success”, a teen wisdom and wellness experience featuring workshops on personal growth, mental well-being, and essential life skills. The summit featured interactive workshops and experiences designed to equip young people with the tools and resources they need to navigate high school and beyond – from learning about self-care and emotional wellness to financial literacy, civic engagement, and leadership development.
“When we invest in our students, we invest in the future of Brooklyn. This summit was about creating space for Brooklyn’s rising leaders to learn valuable skills, build community, and empower one another as they champion the change they want to see in our borough and city,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I’m so proud of my Youth Advisory Council for creating this day-long summit for teens and by teens, and I’m so thankful to our partners – Brooklyn North and South High School Superintendents, Sadie Nash Leadership Project, and all of the organizations who joined us to make this event a success.”
The “Summit to Success” was developed and organized by Borough President Reynoso’s inaugural Youth Advisory Council (YAC), a cohort of 20 juniors and seniors from New York City public schools working together to identify issues around Brooklyn and solve them through policy-based solutions. Through the program, which is led in partnership with Brooklyn North and Brooklyn South High School Superintendents and Sadie Nash Leadership Project, students are learning how to organize around causes that are important to them, gain a better understanding of the institutions that govern their lives, and implement this knowledge through grassroots work in their communities.
Friday’s event featured sessions led by community organizations dedicated to youth empowerment. Some workshops presented include: The Good Dog Foundation: Therapy Puppies; The Dinner Table Documentary: Building Healthy Relationships; Planned Parenthood of Greater New York: Healthy Relationships; Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School: Sip & Paint: Leaders of the New School; Syclus Inc.: Building Your Financial Identity; John Dewey High School: How Did We Get Here; OneGoal: Connecting the Dots on Networks; League of Women Voters of New York: The Three Pillars of Civic Engagement; and The Noble Touch Holistic Healing Center: Master Your Mind: NLP Strategies for Emotional Resilience.
“Sadie Nash is honored to partner with the young people of Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Borough President’s office to create opportunities for young people’s voices to take center stage. Now more than ever, we must look to them for guidance on how to make a more just and compassionate Brooklyn – and world,” said Tené A. Howard, Executive Director of Sadie Nash Leadership Project.
“At Brooklyn North High Schools, we operate under the pedagogy of critical love. We prioritize student wellness and empowerment. The teen summit aligns perfectly with this vision. We have had the privilege of taking part in monthly Youth Advisory Council (YAC) meetings since September alongside the borough presidents office and our counterparts in Brooklyn South. The teen summit is an initiative that came out of the YAC. The summit was completely student led. The students came up with the theme based on feedback they received from other Brooklyn students, recruited presenters and developed the agenda. All the adults did was support. This exemplifies true youth adult partnership in action. We are so proud of our students today and always!” said Janice Ross, Superintendent of Brooklyn North High Schools.
“Our students are the heart of Brooklyn South and seeing them lead the ‘Summit to Success’ makes me incredibly proud. The Youth Advisory Council is proof that when young people are given the space to lead, they rise with purpose, passion, and powerful ideas. This summit reflects who they are, compassionate, thoughtful, creative, and committed to making Brooklyn better for everyone. I’m grateful to the Borough President, the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, Donavan Swanson, and all the partners for believing in our students and giving them a platform to be heard, seen, and celebrated,” said Michael Prayor, Superintendent of Brooklyn South High Schools.
“As a member of the Brooklyn Youth Advisory Council, it is truly a remarkable opportunity to be a direct contributor for the alterations we wish to see in our local neighborhoods. One of the most unique components of this internship was the level of diversity. We’re all intertwined because of the borough itself, however the lived experiences we’ve each endured in and outside of our schools couldn’t be more different. Through gaining a variety of perspectives, we’re able to incorporate issues that could be more prominent in one neighborhood than another. Thus, ensuring that we address as many problems impacting the youth as possible, then selecting those that are a shared reality. We generate solutions for those circumstances, creating impactful change as a result,” said Faith Alexander, Youth Advisory Council Member.
“Working with the Youth Advisory Council amongst some amazing Brooklyn High School students has been the highlight of my high school career. Being able to work under Sadie Nash and the Borough President is an honor, for making a change for my fellow peers has been the experience of a lifetime,” said Hind Sbaa, Youth Advisory Council Member.