By Hilary Kinney
Young people in West Virginia who are passionate about generating positive change in the Mountain State have a unique opportunity available to them this fall.
Young WV: A Power Building Conference, a conference that will take place September 8-10 on the campus of Marshall University, will feature workshops led by and for young people ages 15-25, with focuses on policy, substance abuse, and mental health. Also featured during the event is the Young WV Policy Challenge as well as opportunities to receive mini-grants for community projects.
The second annual event is hosted by Our Children, Our Future (OCOF), a campaign to end childhood poverty in West Virginia. Monica McNulty, a sophomore in the Marshall University School of Nursing, led a workshop at the 2016 conference. Her workshop focused on mental health services and education in the state of West Virginia, issues she thinks are vital to the discussion about quality of life in the state.
“The workshop led to a large group discussion and determination of how the lack of mental health care services should be handled in our state and will hopefully lead to future legislation,” she says.
McNulty also noted that working with young people from across West Virginia was one of the best parts of the conference. “As a young person worried about the quality of life in my home state, I often look for ways to collaborate with other young West Virginians worried about our home, specifically on issues vital to the quality of living within the state,” she says. “The Young WV power-building conference gave me just that opportunity. Over 100 students from around the state teamed up in educating and learning from the entire group.”
Jada Williams, a Marshall University alumna, also led a workshop during the 2016 Young WV conference. She was able to gain invaluable leadership skills through her experience presenting to peers her own age.
“I was able to meet several amazing individuals that I have had the pleasure of working with after the conference and that I am still in contact with,” says Williams. “Presenting at this conference created a network of leaders who are eager to educate the community by presenting on topics near and dear to them.”
Conference attendees will also learn about the process of becoming involved with or starting an OCOF chapter at their own schools. There are currently 26 statewide chapters of the ongoing campaign. Chapter members become a part of West Virginia’s student power movement, participating in advocacy days in Charleston, hosting forums with local officials and planning projects for their communities.
To register for the conference, apply for a scholarship to attend the conference or learn more about contributing to a scholarship or sponsorship, visit www.ocofwv.org/youngwv.
About the Author
Hilary Kinney is a multimedia and graphic design project manager at the WVU Foundation and a recent graduate of the WVU Reed College of Media. She is a member of the Young WV conference planning team and is looking forward to her first year at the conference. Kinney also serves as Miss Rhododendron within the Miss West Virginia Scholarship Organization, visiting schools and advocating for her platform, “Watch Me Lead,” which focuses on civic engagement and leadership in West Virginia communities.
