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Lakewood youth summit drew 238 registrants; organizers seek better follow‑up to boost attendance
Summary
Lakewood Youth Council members reported 238 students registered for the recent youth summit and about 100 attended. Organizers said breakout sessions and hands‑on activities were successful but recommended clearer follow‑up, phone outreach and an earlier, recurring date to raise future attendance.
Lakewood Youth Council members debriefed the recent youth summit and reported 238 students registered and roughly 100 students attended, while discussing steps to boost future turnout.
Organizers said the summit’s interactive breakout sessions — including a panel from Lakewood’s Choice and a hands‑on life‑saving demonstration led by Pierce Fire — resonated with attendees. Council members and staff recommended more proactive follow‑up with registrants, phone banking and setting a fixed annual date to make the event easier to plan around.
“The breakout sessions seemed to be really good,” a council member said, and staff described interactive elements such as practice on CPR dummies and a community art piece left unfinished at the event that organizers want to complete and place at city hall.
Council members reported about 24 vendor tables and noted that food distribution (Chick‑fil‑A, ordered for about 250 people) was popular. Youth participants praised team‑building workshops; one youth council member described an exercise that required teams to make a bridge with limited pieces and move together without stepping off, calling it a strong connection activity.
Discussion focused on reasons some registrants did not attend. Organizers attributed part of the dropoff to spring break timing and to pandemic‑era reductions in social practice among young people. Panelists said younger attendees sometimes lack recent opportunities to practice in‑person social skills and recommended more play‑based, low‑pressure activities.
Recommendations for next year included: early calendar scheduling so vendors and youth can plan; a phone‑bank follow‑up to remind registrants the day before; assigning youth council members specific outreach targets to secure attendance; and giving partner organizations slightly longer presentation time when they add last‑minute panels.
Organizers said they will bring ideas from the debrief to the youth council for planning next year’s summit, including a pilot of volunteer‑driven outreach and a clearer role for adult volunteers to welcome and connect attendees.
