Each year, the New England Youth Identity Summit gathers to bring students together to build connections with a unique conference designed to spark meaningful conversations about identity, diversity, and community.
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| The seventh annual New England Youth Identity Summit is a full-day program featuring inspiring speakers, student-led workshops, dialogue sessions, and performances designed to build connections within and across communities. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
“Our programs are open to high school students from across the state and in the case of the New England Youth Identity Summit, open to students from across New England and beyond,” says Holdridge.
He is a career educator, and this is his second year serving as the director of Third Thought.
“I've worked in a variety of education positions where I move and work in and around schools building learning communities that encourage students to step outside of their own comfort zone and across the limits of their own personal bubbles and spheres of influence,” he says. “I've found that when we create spaces for students to be their authentic selves, and to appreciate others' authentic selves, then we have an opportunity to collaborate on common ground ideas and issues.”
The first New England Youth Identity Submit (NEYIS) was in 2016 and came about because Waynflete School wanted to create a local version of conferences that were happening across the country, conferences that allowed students to attend and/or lead workshops on topics that were important to them and that allowed them to explore and define their multiple identities and learn about the multiple identities of their peers.
“This year we were finally able to return to our Pre- and Post-COVID maximum capacity and we were able to welcome close to 300 high school students and educators representing 48 schools and organizations from seven states,” says Holdridge. “We start planning in September with a youth planning team that consists of students from several area high schools, an adult planning team made of individuals from Third Thought, several departments at Waynflete and our producing partner Valo. To see it all come together and to know that we're able to provide this opportunity to students from so many schools and communities is a real joy.”
The Summit is a full-on community event on the production side and the attendance side, and this was the year they finally were able to say ‘We’re back!” The keynote speaker was author Marpheen Chann who has family connections in Windham, and they were also lucky to have student performances as well as professional performances from dancer Mathew Cumbie and singer Clarisse Karisira.
“One of our greatest Third Thought success stories this year involves two students from Windham High School. Classmates Mareena Batsungnern and Griffin Moreau became friends while participating in the Can We? Project at WHS,” Holdridge said. “The Can We? Project teaches skills of dialogue across differences. After those retreats, Batsungnern and Moreau were able to be on a panel of students and teachers at Educate Maine's Education Symposium in Portland. This panel was led by a student from Waynflete. After that, the two of them invited me to be on a panel that they led for WHS students. And finally, they proposed a workshop for the Summit that reached capacity.”
The workshop leaders were Batsungnern and Moreau of Windham High School and their workshop focused on “Breaking Down Social Hierarchies in School: How Can We Connect with One Another? What is a peer?”
Batsungnern and Moreau say that most of your days in elementary, middle, and high school are spent in classrooms with peers who you know little about in spite of having grown up together. How important are they at such a critical period in our lives? A peer is "an individual who is of equal standing to another." Is this definition actively reflected in today's "peer" environment? Join us to learn about the necessity of breaking down school hierarchies and encouraging connections between people with different backgrounds, interests, and beliefs, with hopes of transforming misunderstandings into compassion for one another.”
Holdridge says Third Thought is really happy to be working at Windham High School with the Can We? Project and in welcoming students to the summit.
“Next year will be our third year collaborating with Windham High School students, teachers, and administrators and we're developing meaningful relationships and, as the example below shows, we're beginning to see a positive snowball effect.” <
The first New England Youth Identity Submit (NEYIS) was in 2016 and came about because Waynflete School wanted to create a local version of conferences that were happening across the country, conferences that allowed students to attend and/or lead workshops on topics that were important to them and that allowed them to explore and define their multiple identities and learn about the multiple identities of their peers.
“This year we were finally able to return to our Pre- and Post-COVID maximum capacity and we were able to welcome close to 300 high school students and educators representing 48 schools and organizations from seven states,” says Holdridge. “We start planning in September with a youth planning team that consists of students from several area high schools, an adult planning team made of individuals from Third Thought, several departments at Waynflete and our producing partner Valo. To see it all come together and to know that we're able to provide this opportunity to students from so many schools and communities is a real joy.”
The Summit is a full-on community event on the production side and the attendance side, and this was the year they finally were able to say ‘We’re back!” The keynote speaker was author Marpheen Chann who has family connections in Windham, and they were also lucky to have student performances as well as professional performances from dancer Mathew Cumbie and singer Clarisse Karisira.
“One of our greatest Third Thought success stories this year involves two students from Windham High School. Classmates Mareena Batsungnern and Griffin Moreau became friends while participating in the Can We? Project at WHS,” Holdridge said. “The Can We? Project teaches skills of dialogue across differences. After those retreats, Batsungnern and Moreau were able to be on a panel of students and teachers at Educate Maine's Education Symposium in Portland. This panel was led by a student from Waynflete. After that, the two of them invited me to be on a panel that they led for WHS students. And finally, they proposed a workshop for the Summit that reached capacity.”
The workshop leaders were Batsungnern and Moreau of Windham High School and their workshop focused on “Breaking Down Social Hierarchies in School: How Can We Connect with One Another? What is a peer?”
Batsungnern and Moreau say that most of your days in elementary, middle, and high school are spent in classrooms with peers who you know little about in spite of having grown up together. How important are they at such a critical period in our lives? A peer is "an individual who is of equal standing to another." Is this definition actively reflected in today's "peer" environment? Join us to learn about the necessity of breaking down school hierarchies and encouraging connections between people with different backgrounds, interests, and beliefs, with hopes of transforming misunderstandings into compassion for one another.”
Holdridge says Third Thought is really happy to be working at Windham High School with the Can We? Project and in welcoming students to the summit.
“Next year will be our third year collaborating with Windham High School students, teachers, and administrators and we're developing meaningful relationships and, as the example below shows, we're beginning to see a positive snowball effect.” <
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