Earlier this week, a group of Woodland Hills High School students took part in the annual Eradicate Hate Student Summit. Part of the annual Eradicate Hate Global Summit held every year at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, this event empowers high school students to bring change to their community and work to prevent hate-fueled violence.
The Eradicate Hate Global Summit was founded following the horrific Tree of Life Synagogue tragedy in Squirrel Hill. This week, students from high schools around the region met to share their ideas about how to bring people together and address hate.
The Woodland Hills students took the opportunity to listen to their peers from different schools and to share information about the impact of the Woodland Hills Student Summit in the hopes it might inspire others to join or create something similar.
Cayden Bristow was a panelist, where he shared more details about the Woodland Hills Student Summit and how it connects students from a wide range of backgrounds. Jae Saunders spoke to the students about the Student Summit, explained the typical experience, and shared how participants often find that they're not as alone as they believe.
Tay'shaun Watson and Abigail Tucker spent time networking with students from other schools and answered questions about how to get started. While the Woodland Hills Student Summit now features over 300 students from two dozen schools, Tay'shaun and Abigail explained it began with just Woodland Hills students talking about violence in the community.
Claire Matta spent time listening to other students' experiences in their schools, many of which have a different environment than Woodland Hills. Noelle Brubaker was inspired by the passion of other students to bring change to their school environments.
By attending the Eradicate Hate Student Summit, the Woodland Hills students were able to deepen their connections to other schools, exchange ideas, and bring fresh perspectives so that the Woodland Hills Student Summit can continue to empower and give our high school students a voice.
Thank you to the Eradicate Hate Student Summit for continuing to partner with the Woodland Hills Student Summit and all youth programs devoted to making our schools and communities stronger.