05/15/2026
PA YOUTH SUMMIT 2026
Dear Partners, Panelists, Facilitators, Keynote Speakers, Youth Leaders, Volunteers, and Supporters,
With hearts full of gratitude, thank you for helping make the 5th Annual PA Youth Summit 2026 and this year’s PA4Peace campaign such meaningful and successful experiences for our young people and communities across Pennsylvania.
Because of your time, leadership, wisdom, flexibility, and commitment to youth voice, over 200 students and attendees from Reading, Berks County, Lehigh Valley, Chester, and surrounding communities gathered together throughout this campaign to participate in conversations and experiences centered on healing, civic engagement, leadership development, arts, wellness, education, entrepreneurship, violence prevention, and social justice.
This year marked an important milestone as we expanded the vision of the Berks4Peace movement into a broader statewide initiative through PA4Peace and the PA Youth Summit. Together, we created spaces where young people felt seen, heard, empowered, inspired, and connected to one another through advocacy, civic engagement, creativity, and community healing.
Through the PA4Peace campaign, young people participated in multiple events and activations dedicated to violence prevention, youth leadership, civic engagement, and community empowerment, including Poetry4Peace at the Goggle Works Garden, Dance4Peace at Alvernia University, the PA Youth Advocacy Day trip to Harrisburg, and the 5th Annual PA Youth Summit at Penn State Berks.
A special thank you to everyone who supported the PA Youth Advocacy Day experience at the Pennsylvania State Capitol. From the youth-led conversations and legislative meetings to the press conference and civic engagement experiences in Harrisburg, our young people had the opportunity to engage directly with elected officials and witness the power of advocacy, policy, and collective action firsthand.
We also extend our deepest appreciation to the Penn State Berks team for opening your campus to our youth and community partners and for your collaboration, hospitality, logistical support, and commitment to creating a welcoming educational environment where young people could learn, lead, and envision their futures.
To our keynote speakers and presenters — thank you for pouring into our youth with authenticity, knowledge, and compassion.
To our facilitators and panelists — thank you for creating brave spaces for dialogue, reflection, and learning.
To our volunteers and support teams — thank you for the countless behind-the-scenes moments that kept these events moving with care and excellence.
To our partners and sponsors — thank you for believing in the power of investing in young people and helping us amplify youth voice through arts, media, advocacy, leadership, civic engagement, and healing-centered programming.
Days like these remind us that collective impact is possible when communities come together with a shared purpose. The energy, conversations, performances, advocacy, and connections throughout the PA4Peace campaign were a powerful reflection of what youth leadership in Pennsylvania can and should look like.
We are deeply grateful for your partnership and look forward to continuing this work together as we grow the movement for peace, healing, prevention, civic engagement, and youth empowerment across our communities.
Berks4Peace Reading School District-Reading, Pa. Reading High School l Reading, Pa. Centro Hispano Daniel Torres Penn State Berks Reading Hospital - Tower Health East Penn Mfg. Careers Not One More PA CareerLink Berks County VOICE Up Yocum Institute for Arts Education Reading Area Community College (RACC) League of Women Voters of Berks County PA PA Youth Vote TaLisa DeJesus-Watts DrDamary M. Bonilla-Rodriguez Communities In Schools OCOA REFORM TaLisa DeJesus-Watts
