Radical Minds Youth Conference

The "Radical Minds" Youth Conference is a youth-led event that creates dialogue around critical and prevalent issues in the Somali community. Youth in the community will gather to voice their concerns on issues such as radicalization, violence, local gangs and the current famine in East Africa. The event will include a panel discussion on youth empowerment and the correlation between education and peace. Youth will learn about local and national issues and understand how these issues affect their community and their every day lives.

Over the the past few years, there have been cases of Somali men, students and youth who have been victims of radicalization; they have been recruited to travel back to Somalia to fight alongside extremist groups. These extremists are destroying the lives of our youth who have been given opportunity for an increased quality of life in the United States and of the victims and their families. Through this event, we aim to shed light on this critical issues that not only affect the Somali communities, but the United States as a whole. By creating an atmosphere for positive dialogue between members of the Somali community and members of the local and federal government, we hope to break the silence around this issue and acknowledge that a solution may only be attained when the problems are discussed collaboratively.