Youth Conference - Our Story Our Glory

Mission Statement

The Youth Conference aspires to create a safe space for middle and high school students in the San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange County and Riverside counties, to explore, inspire and celebrate the San Gabriel Valley communities.

BYC ’25 Online Registration

The Draper Center for Community Partnerships and a student leadership team are excited to announce the 3rd Annual Youth Conference on February 8, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Youth Conference is designed to inspire pride and excellence among middle and high school students through thought provoking workshops, hands-on activities, and engaging conversations with current college students from the Claremont Colleges. Separate workshops are designed for students and parent/guardians.

This year’s conference theme is Our Story, Our Glory. We have an exciting day planned to build the community. The Draper Center and a student leadership team will kick off the day with a panel discussion followed by 3 college student-led workshops titled: Our History in SoCal, Community Solutions, and Media to Material (Art & Music). During the lunch hour, guests can enjoy a resource fair, a catered lunch on the Smith Campus Center patio, and interactive activities. Our afternoon program will continue with an uplifting vocal performance and an inspiring message from a dynamic keynote speaker.

Parents and students must register separately.

Please register: BYC ’25 Online Registration

BYC ’25 Theme Breakdown

The Youth Conference is to teach, reflect and learn from our youth in the surrounding areas near Pomona College. This year we decided to focus on learning about what it really means when we talk about our community’s history. Although we can’t fit the entirety of this topic into three workshops, we wanted to highlight these three topics:

• Our History in SoCal
• Community Solutions
• Media to Material (Art + Music)

Below you will find the description of each workshop.

Our History in SoCal

Facilitators: Randy Pierre '25 and Carlineissa Jean Francois '27 

History helps us understand how past events have shaped the present and how societies can change and develop. For people in Southern California, more specifically, Pomona and the San Gabriel Valley, what is our history? For our workshop, we first want to recognize why it is important to learn from our ancestors and history, especially where we are at now.

Community Solutions

Facilitators: Sokhna Lo ’25 and Daniel Coker '27

The Community Solutions workshop aims to connect historical and contemporary challenges with the overarching theme of "Our Story, Our Glory." This session will delve into critical issues affecting the community and the importance of grassroot organizations while celebrating resilience to inspire and empower students with the powerful legacy of their ancestors.

Media to Material (Art + Music)

Facilitators: Jeremy Mitchell ’27, Davion Nutall ’27

This workshop will explore how art and music interact as we tell our stories through creative expression. This session will dive into the power of music and cinema in communicating ongoing struggle, from historical movements to contemporary voices. Drawing on lyrical masteries, participants will analyze the messages in music, dissecting how it speaks to and for the community. The workshop will engage in conversations about films and unravel the deeper meanings behind these works and their role in philosophies.