Spring Youth Leadership and Engagement Summit
Summit General Information
A light fare breakfast & lunch and will be served.
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Students are responsible for their own transportation.
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Students attending workshops or volunteering qualify for up to 8 hours of service-learning.
Students must pick up registration materials and obtain a service-learning form at the event
Parents, guardians or caregivers must authorize student participation.
Registration confirmation will be sent to parental or guardian information provided.
Welcome to the Youth Leadership and Engagement Summit, where we empower middle and high school students with the knowledge, skills, experiences, and resources to become effective leaders, communicators, doers, and thinkers. Our workshops and resources are tailored to help students develop essential leadership and life skills to make a positive impact in their personal and professional lives as well as in community overall.
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We are offering something new and exciting! Workshops for parents, grandparents, guardians and members of the community!
Event - Youth Leadership and Engagement Summit
When - Saturday, April 25, 2026
Host - Aberdeen High School PTSA
251 Paradise Road, Aberdeen, MD 21001
Time - 8:30AM to 4:30PM
Cost - $15 but there are options:
Serve as a facilitator or volunteer
Show proof of PTA/PTSA membership
Apply for a limited fee waiver
Target Audience - All 6th through 12th grade students who live in Harford County including all public, private, parochial, independent, homeschooled students living in Harford County who may attend schools elsewhere.
*There is no on-site registration for this fun-filled event.
*Registration is required and closes on Sunday, Apr. 19.
*Register as a student, facilitator, volunteer or parent.
*A waiver is available or proof of PTA membership can be used in
lieu of $15 fee.
Harford County Public Schools is not sponsoring, endorsing, or recommending the activities announced in registration website.
#AHSPTSA, #YouthLAES, #HCRASC, #MPMThinks, #YLAESHarford2026
ABOUT US
Our Mission
The mission of PTA is to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.
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Aberdeen High School PTSA is taking a monumental step toward student engagement programming and invites you to participate in an impactful way. We have partnered with the Harford County Regional Association of Student Councils and MPM Thinks, an education consulting firm, to host the first ever county-wide Youth Leadership and Engagement Summit. Student engagement involves leading, learning, and laughing.
The purpose of the Youth Leadership and Engagement Summit is to allow youth from grades 6 – 12 to express their leadership via workshop sessions and participate in to develop resolutions in focus groups on relevant topics that address curriculum as well as having them learn very useful tools, strategies, and fun activities as they approach life in general. The theme is, Ignite the Future, and we want you to be a part of it.
This affair is open to all students who are residents of Harford County who attend public, private, parochial, independent and homeschools. We are offering 29 categories of workshops in four different sessions and two conventions divided up between the middle schoolers and high schoolers. Hence, there will be over 115 different 55-minute workshops and during the last 5 minutes of the day, students will be dismissed by grade delegations.
While students are encouraged to lead a workshop, many sessions will be facilitated by student parents, teachers, industry professionals, and field specialists. Each session is designed for all youth to be able to do, produce, or create something.
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And now, we are offering special workshops for parents, grandparents, guardians, and the community at large so that they can learn and engage in issues that impact the school community and parental decisions.
SPRING SUMMIT ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOPS
Leadership Development
Providing interactive and hands-on workshops focused on developing essential leadership skills and fostering a growth mindset among middle and high school students. Two focus groups involve training on how to develop resolutions, a common PTA/PTSA advocacy tool used to advocate. Not only will students learn how to understand the value of establishing a resolution, but it will be on topics relevant to their lives that may turn into legislation or be used for policy decisions within Maryland in the future. Many of the volunteer opportunities such as serving as a registration check-in or interviewing students in the hall helps students build responsibility and contribute to a bigger cause.
Youth Engagement Sessions
Youth will walk away having learned a skill, an ability to produce a tangible item, or experience an opportunity to gain insight on an interest of theirs. Registration is for a minimum of 10 students and a maximum of 20 students. Students are asked to select their top two workshop sessions and are encouraged to bring a friend from school or the neighborhood. Students will talk with one another from other schools and make new friends. They will have an endless number of successful engagements and person-to-person communications.
Resource Sharing
Students will share valuable resources with one another and will have access to a booklet regarding scholarships and summer enrichment activities including camps and summer programs within and outside of Maryland. Many of the scholarships and essay/video contests pertain to a variety of different interests throughout the country. Facilitators are encouraged to provide them with a physical take-away or memorable experience. Another aspect of resource sharing will derive from the legislative update from the recent convening of the Maryland General Assembly.
Summit Workshops
While many workshops will be facilitated by our talented and trained middle and high school students the bulk of them will be conducted by industry experts, business and community leaders, and parents who have a significant amount of experience or certifications in certain skill sets. And, we are very proud to offer workshops for parents, grandparents, guardians, and the community at large that help strengthen the school community at large. Go to our Workshops Page to view the variety of topics offered at the Youth Leadership and Engagement Summit.
OUR APPROACH
Empowering Youth
At the Youth Leadership and Engagement Summit, we believe in the power of youth innovation and collaboration. Our approach revolves around the opportunity to allow students to lead creatively, produce an outcome, deliver by using skills, function healthy, and express talents that drive their future ambitions, and to engage with one another that positively impacts their conduct and behavior. All while having fun and laughing.
We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion, creativity, and excellence in all our youth engagement endeavors. This is a community partnership and whether you are a small business, non-profit, incorporation, or private individual we invite you to partner with us for the betterment of youth.
​Shola Kemp, President
Aberdeen High School PTSA
251 Paradise Road, Aberdeen, MD 21001
www.facebook.com/ahsmdptsa.com
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Marla Posey-Moss
Education Consultant
MPM Thinks
410-746-2746
Interested in partnering with us for a youth leadership event or need more information? Reach out to us today. #AHSPTSA, #YouthLAES, #HCRASC, #MPMThinks, #YLAESHarford2026
CONTACT US
Jennifer Kelley, Club Advisor
SGA, HCRASC, Varsity Club​
Aberdeen High School
251 Paradise Road, Aberdeen, MD 21001
