Over the weekend of April 25-26, more than 300 youth from the Meadowview section of Sacramento gathered for the 1st Annual Meadowview Youth Leadership Conference. A diverse neighborhood in south Sacramento, Meadowview is plagued with high levels of gang activity and violence. Youth and adult leaders from PICO affiliate Sacramento Area Congregations Together (ACT) organized the conference as part of a broader campaign to inspire the youth to believe in their own leadership and ability to make change in the community.

Workshop topics included job training, gang involvement, the rights of youth, and college access. Keynote speakers included mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson, who spoke about the importance of education, and Ms. Hmong International Mercedes Ly, who, as a native of Meadowview, stressed to the youth their ability to choose something different than what the statistics say about their neighborhood.

The conference was part of a broader initiative called the ACT-Meadowview Partnership, a coalition of congregations, schools, community groups, after-school programming, and local government using community organizing to build leadership and create long-term meaningful change for Meadowview youth.

For more information on Sacramento ACT, visit www.sacact.org