Feb 19, 2010
Middle and high school aged youth from across the state are invited to Albuquerque for the first ever statewide Youth Leadership and Advocacy Conference. The youths, ages 12-18, will hear from MTV celebrity and internationally renowned youth motivational speaker, Jeff Yalden.
The conference, which is February 26-28 at the Albuquerque Marriot, is hosted by New Mexico Voices for Children’s Youth Link program and the New Mexico Department of Health’s TUPAC (Tobacco Use Prevention and Control) program. Youth attending the three-day event already work to improve the health of their friends, families and communities through commercial tobacco education and awareness efforts.
This conference is designed to increase skills in youth leadership, public speaking, peer-to-peer education and advocacy while providing the opportunity to learn new information and presentation skills on the health effects of commercial tobacco use. Adult sponsors will also have the opportunity to sharpen their skills and learn new information on effectively working with and supporting young people in the work they do.
Both local and out-of-state youth training experts will be on hand to provide multiple breakout sessions. The keynote speaker is Jeff Yalden, a teen coach on MTV’s MADE series and internationally renowned youth motivational speaker. A solid motivator, educator, and role model, Yalden has spent the last 12 years touring the world, coaching and delivering his highly motivational speech about making better life and family choices to youth, educators and parents. His timely message about life and purpose is delivered with humor and hard-hitting honesty. Yalden is from Sagamore Beach, Mass.