Youth in Action Make a Difference Conference Kicks Off

Students from schools throughout the Northland came together today to learn about student leadership and how to bring a positive change to northern Minnesota.

DULUTH, Minn. – Students from schools throughout the Northland came together today to learn about student leadership and how to bring positive change to northern Minnesota.

It’s called the Youth in Action Make a Difference Conference and it was held in Duluth for the first time ever.

The annual conference was back for its 25th year. More than 400 students in grades 9 to 12 packed the DECC for this special gathering.

Workshops at the event included topics like vaping, stepping out of your comfort zone, coping strategies for better mental health and finding the good life.

Students say its about finding ways to help those in surrounding communities.

“We have a lot of different schools and communities all around this area,” said Cole Hansen, a student from Proctor. “It’s good to get kind of everybody in this area involved in you know volunteering for different communities and just helping people out.”

A big goal for the event: helping students get involved in a positive way to help a wide variety of people.

“If you start getting youth involved, which Youth in Action is doing, we’re going to be able to consistently make the world a better place, not only for ourselves but for the people that are older than us and younger than us,” said Parker Pazdernik, a student from Proctor.

Attendees hope to increase the ripple effect of their impact locally and beyond.

“I definitely hope to bring back more ideas and more people that want to get involved in this because we have 14 presenters with us today and next year we’re hoping to get a lot more,” said Sidney Marshall, a student from Ely.

Besides being a rewarding experience, the conference gives everyone here an opportunity for growth and connection.

“I’m just really happy that I joined Youth in Action,” said William Buggert, a presenter for Youth in Action. “It’s one of the best things I’ve done. I’ve learned more in the three years I’ve been here than really any other group.”

The keynote speaker this year was Kyle Willkom, who gave messages on leadership.

The conference had been previously held on the Iron Range but with the increase in Duluth student participation, the aim is to rotate the conference between the two locations every other year.