Press release
The Genesee County Youth Bureau sponsored the 36th Annual Youth Conference at Genesee Community College on March 20, 2025.
This conference is offered on an annual basis to local seventh- and eighth-grade students in Genesee and Orleans County in an effort to address pertinent social issues of interest to middle school aged youth. There were 340 seventh-and eighth-grade students in attendance.
This year we focused on promoting and fostering healthy relationships, mental well-being, and how social media affects one’s mental health.
Our interactive keynote speaker, Logan Taylor of Y.B.Normal?, spoke on the importance of respecting differences, having healthy boundaries, and the significance of coping skills. His presentation titled “You Matter” emphasized the importance of having a mental health routine and being the best version of yourself. Logan highlighted several important skills throughout his speech including leadership, critical thinking, teamwork, empathy, adaptability, and problem solving.
A total of 22 different workshops were offered to students. These workshops included a variety of human service organizations from Genesee County. The workshops were tailored to be interesting, engaging, and hands-on while addressing the theme of the conference. Topics addressed in the workshops included, Self-Defense and Personal Safety, Social Media Awareness and Online Safety, Mechatronics, Building Confidence Through Geocaching, Musical Theatre and Public Speaking, Healthy Relationships and Empowerment, and many more.
Members of the Youth Conference Committee are extremely grateful to the workshop presenters who volunteered their time to educate our area seventh and eighth graders. We are also grateful to the following businesses/organizations that provided discounts or donations for the conference…Genesee Community College, GCEDC, and Subway.
For more information on the annual Genesee County Youth Conference or to find out how you can participate in the next event, call the Genesee County Youth Bureau at 585-344-3960