Looking Back & Looking Forward: Writing to Defend Democracy is a student-led conference that will culminate in a powerful newspaper publication featuring the voices of Boston youth. With the support of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, WriteBoston and Teens in Print are hosting this information-rich forum to empower youth during a period of heightened anxiety. Students will attend two of three interactive workshops that deep-dive into:

Immigration 101: Led by Celina Barrios-Millner, immigrant integration fellow at the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement, and Clinton Nguyen, senior at O’Bryant High School, we will be discussing student immigrant rights, resources for higher education, and how sharing your story matters.

Combating Hate Crimes: Led by Carlos Rojas, project director of Youth on Board, and Rose Koumbassa, junior at Cristo Rey High School, we will be discussing questions about what a hate crime is and what you can do if you witness or experience one, as well as exploring identity through poetry.

Journalism in a ‘Fake News’ Era: Carla Gualdron, program director of Teens in Print, and Kelly Thai, senior at O’Bryant High School, will be leading a panel of professors and journalists to discuss how to identify reliable, unbiased news sources.

As a concrete outcome of the event, the December 2017 issue of Teens in Print, with its circulation of 20,000 across city high schools, libraries and community spaces, will be dedicated as a special edition of youth writings, learnings and discoveries from the event.

The conference will be held on Saturday, September 30, from 9:30-3:30 pm at the Bruce C. Bolling Building in Roxbury. Free and open to the public, designed for high school students.

Register now for free at Eventbrite.