Youth Unite for Empowerment at YWCA’s Largest-Ever Advocacy Summit
Girls Inc. at YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee students take part in the 2025 YWCA Youth Advocacy Summit. More than 50 students from over a dozen MNPS schools joined the event at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 5, 2025) - While gray skies and rain swept across Middle Tennessee, inside the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, something vibrant was unfolding: over 50 young people gathered for Healing Through Unity: Youth Advocacy Summit—our biggest youth summit yet. On the same stormy afternoon, just across the street, YWCA’s first-ever Healing Through Unity Community Wellness & Resource Fair was also in full swing. Despite the weather, the energy was electric. Our mission to empower youth and foster holistic community care came to life in two powerful, simultaneous events.
A collaboration between YWCA’s Social Justice & Advocacy team, Girls Inc., and AMEND Together, the summit created an immersive, welcoming space for middle and high school students across Nashville to explore identity, voice, and the many forms of advocacy. Youth participants moved through a series of interactive stations led by community partners who brought their passions and expertise directly to the next generation of changemakers. From Black Mental Health Village and Healing in the Margins’ session on identity and advocacy, to the Sunrise Movement’s storytelling for environmental justice, to EdTrust TN and the National Center for Youth Law’s deep dive into students’ education rights—each station was hands-on, relevant, and rooted in real-world action.
AWAKE TN led a dynamic workshop inviting students to think critically about their own journeys and those of others, exploring how empathy and awareness can build stronger communities. The Nashville Black Storytellers Collective followed with an engaging session on artivism, using poetry and creative expression as tools for personal storytelling and community impact. Throughout the day, students engaged deeply with the material and with each other—building knowledge, confidence, and authentic peer connection.
The highlight of the afternoon was a keynote from Carlos Partee, co-founder of the Nashville Black Market, who delivered a moving talk about his entrepreneurial journey and how his commitment to community and economic empowerment became the foundation of his work. His story resonated deeply with the students, offering a powerful example of how challenges can become fuel for purposeful change.
Running alongside the summit was a youth-centered wellness fair, where every attendee left with free health and wellness resources—including hygiene kits, self-care tools, and local support networks. We’re grateful to our partners for making sure students didn’t just feel inspired but also supported in tangible, lasting ways.
A senior from McGavock High School shared, “The panelists were incredible and the resources they gave us—websites, articles, QR codes—were really valuable. But what made it really special for me was hearing from the other students. The peer-to-peer conversations made the summit fun and real. I’d definitely come again just for that.”
Special thanks to the Nashville Soccer Club and the Harnisch Foundation for sponsoring this year’s event. Their support helped make this day of learning, healing, and youth empowerment possible.
At YWCA, we believe in the transformative power of young people. Saturday’s summit reminded us once again that our future is in excellent hands—and that when youth are given the space to be seen, heard, and supported, they rise to every occasion.
