Youth Substance Use Prevention Rowan (YSUP Rowan) invites leaders of youth-serving agencies to participate in training to support the development of youth as civic leaders and to support adults and organizations to change harmful policies and practices that negatively affect youth. “YES! for Equity” is a national training and movement-building force built on the belief that racial equity and intergenerational power-sharing are essential to community change.  

The virtual training will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to noon. Participants are required to commit to the full six hours of training. The training is free, but  registration is required and will be limited to 35 people. To register, go to forms.gle/TnK9a5DjHjsfyXzo9.  

This “YES! for Equity” training will help participants to develop critical awareness of the relationship between racial equity, power and youth empowerment; shift thinking from programs, to policy, to activism for community transformation; and learn how to be an effective adult ally to a youth-led movement.  

The adult ally training of “YES! for Equity” will be followed this summer by training for a group of young  people to help them develop the skills to become competent community advocates to address the  policy, systems, and environmental changes they would like to see happen in their communities. More information will be provided on this training at a later date.  

YES! for Equity is a component of the Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE), an Atlanta-based organization that has been advancing the cause of equity since 2008. PSE focuses on the key areas of energy equity, equitable development, and health equity to develop policy initiatives which will elevate  and enable the communities they serve.  

YSUP Rowan is part of Rowan County Youth Services Bureau, Inc., a local nonprofit organization serving  young people and their families. YSUP Rowan was founded in 2016 and in 2017 was awarded a five-year  grant from the White House Office of Drug Control Policy’s Drug-Free Communities Support Program.  

For more information, contact Lauren Alexander-Persse at laurenysup@gmail.com