County of Santa Clara Holds Youth Summit to Encourage Next Generation of Leaders and Promote Student Wellness

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. — The County of Santa Clara will hold a lively and engaging Youth Leadership Summit on Saturday, April 27, to encourage the next generation of young leaders and inspire students to help improve wellness in their schools and communities.

The event, which will be held at Oak Grove High School in San José, is part of the County’s commitment to improving the health and wellness of children and families. The County Board of Supervisors has made youth wellness a priority and taken significant steps to improve access to behavioral health resources for county youth.
 
The summit will feature remarks by County leaders, educators and students; a youth panel on student wellness; resources on youth leadership and mental health; and tours of the Oak Grove High School wellness center.
 
“With everything going on in the world today, it would be easy to be pessimistic about our future,” said County of Santa Clara Supervisor and Board President Susan Ellenberg, who is scheduled to speak at the summit. “But when I see the potential demonstrated by young people, like those attending this summit, I am filled with optimism.”
 
The summit is the result of a collaboration between the County Office of Children and Families Policy, which works to ensure that children have the support they need to be safe and prosperous, and the County Youth Task Force, an advisory body that provides input to County decision-makers on subjects that affect the lives of young people.
 
“The County’s goal is to make sure that every child in Santa Clara County is safe, healthy, and set up for success in learning and in life,” said County Executive James R. Williams, who will be speaking at the event. “For every program and service we provide, one of the key factors we consider is how it impacts youth. Their leadership and engagement are critical to our success as a healthy and thriving community.”
 
Roughly 30 local organizations will attend the event and staff tables with information and resources related to youth leadership, health and wellness, financial assistance and career development.
 
In addition to Ellenberg and Williams, speakers at the Youth Summit will include:

• Sarah Duffy, chief children’s officer for the County of Santa Clara
• Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, Santa Clara County superintendent of schools
• Anushka Tadikonda and Henry Yao, co-chairs of the Youth Task Force
• Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade, associate professor of Latina/o studies and race and resistance at San Francisco State University

“The Office of Children and Families Policy is incredibly excited to partner with the Youth Task Force on their first Youth Leadership Summit,” said Duffy, who leads the Office of Children and Families Policy. “The opportunity to hear from youth and County leaders on the mental health experiences of adolescents is vital as we work to confront threats posed to social and emotional well-being that arose from the pandemic. As the County expands its investments in school-based metal health, the County will engage in regular listening sessions with students on their wellness needs. This summit will provide a collective experience to share diverse perspectives and resources for well-being and youth leadership.”
 
The Office of Children and Families Policy provides administrative support and guidance to the Youth Task Force, which consists of 16 students between eighth and 12^th grade, spread across the County’s five supervisorial districts.
 
"This summit marks the culmination of all the Youth Task Force’s hard work and dedication,” said Tadikonda. “It serves as a platform to prioritize our top objectives, particularly focusing on addressing mental health challenges and educational disparities. More than that, however, it’s about empowering young leaders countywide. The summit not only offers opportunities for personal growth but also provides invaluable networks that are essential for fostering effective leadership. It’s a chance to enhance ourselves as well as uplift and inspire others.”
 
The Youth Leadership Summit will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at Oak Grove High School, located at 285 Blossom Hill Road in San José. Young people who are interested in attending the event may RSVP on the summit’s registration webpage.
 
As part of the summit, participants may visit Oak Grove’s wellness center, a space where students are able to relax and socialize, receive counseling, and get referrals to behavioral health resources.
 
The County recently dedicated $13.2 million in grant funding to dramatically expand the number of school-based wellness centers in the county. The money will be split among 40 schools to create new wellness centers or improve existing ones.
 
The wellness center expansion program addresses the significant mental health challenges facing Silicon Valley students. Nearly one-third of middle- and high-school students in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties has experienced chronic feelings of sadness or hopelessness, according to the 2023 Silicon Valley Index, an annual report by the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies, the research arm of nonprofit Joint Venture Silicon Valley.
 
The grant program is a key element of the Children’s Roadmap to Recovery, a County initiative spearheaded by Supervisors Ellenberg and Cindy Chavez, and one of many initiatives the County is pursuing to help children and families in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, the County launched a $15 million grant program that enables childcare providers to renovate or reopen facilities and expand existing operations, serving a critical need in the community. In addition, the Board of Supervisors allocated $10 million to a trio of programs administered by nonprofit FIRST 5 Santa Clara County that are designed to increase and sustain the childcare and early education workforce.
 
ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA 
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multicultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, Calif., making it more populous than 14 states in the United States. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.
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