Young men help shape ‘Young Men’s inaugural Empowerment Summit’ in Evansville

Several young men from schools across Evansville helped plan the inaugural YMCA of Southwestern Indiana Young Men’s Empowerment Summit, held Thursday, October 15, at the Old National Events Plaza.

The summit featured guest speakers, more than 10 breakout sessions, and networking opportunities. 119 men from schools including Benjamin Bosse High School, Francis Joseph Reitz High School, Glenwood School, North Jr. High School, and Lincoln School attended. 

Speakers included Matt Lehman, Eric Tillman, David Ragland, and Chris Johnson—and Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry. 

Sean Kuykendall, the YMCA’s Director of Community Outreach Branch, said the summit came about after an idea to gather young men for professional development sparked community interest. With that in mind, United Way Amplify, YMCA of Southwestern Indiana, the City of Evansville, and Southern Indiana Mentoring Academy (SIMA) collaborated to host the event. 

“We joined with like 15 other organizations in our community to make this all happen today,” Kuykendall said.

In Evansville, males make up 51% of the 21,444 enrolled students in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation. 

The summit gave young men in the area a chance to connect with professional leaders, mentorships, and networking opportunities.

According to a recent Big Brothers Big Sisters survey on mentoring youth, 70% of teachers reported that students are misbehaving more than before the pandemic, and 40% reported that student engagement is lower than in 2019. The study finds that students with mentors who participate in empowerment events are 46% less likely to use illegal substances, 54% less likely to be arrested, and 52% less likely to skip school. 

While the organizations led the overall operation, young men from several Evansville grade schools helped plan the summit. Kuykendall noted that students helped coordinate the lunch menu, discussion topics, breakout sessions, prizes, and marketing. 

Jayton Burns (16) attends Bosse High School and is one of the students who helped with coordinating the summit. He expressed that turnout was better than he expected and that he felt good about helping young men access resources.

He joked that the young men in attendance could be mingling and “hanging about in the lobby,” but Burns took time to commend the men’s commitment to stay tuned to keynote speakers and learn ways to improve themselves. 

“Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you can’t change the community,” Burns said. “The things you do, the people around you are all affected by who you are and what you do. So, take advantage of that.”

A wide range of topics was discussed at the event. Kuykendall said speakers discussed what influences young men and how to recognize a good influence. Gun violence even made its way into conversation on the backs of recent shootings in the Evansville community. 

Lamont Landors (15) also attends Bosse High School. He felt the discussion of shootings was important, though heavy, and emphasized that young people need mentors.

“Gun violence is harmful,” Landors said. “You know, bullets don’t have eyes. It’s just harmful how they are out there. The kids out there, like I said, they’re one of the lost ones. They need someone in their lives. They need role models, mentors, people who can help them be better, be greater.”

Lamont also expressed his enjoyment knowing that next year he has a chance to be a part of the youth leadership team that helps coordinate the summit. He echoed Burns on how engaged the men in attendance were, saying, “They could come here just for the prizes, and go back home being fakish.” But Lamont couldn’t have been prouder of his peers.

“We need these young men together, working as one, to help us get through our lives and help us get through this world together,” Lamont said. “We are growing up and maturing more, we’re gonna start having more decisions or more opportunities in life that we need to figure out and make decisions on, and I just think you can’t just do that individually.”

Marginalized and low-income communities could benefit most from events like these. Members of these communities don’t always have access to the same professional development opportunities as middle- and upper-income peers. In the United States, more than 11 million children live in poverty — roughly 16% of all American children. 

Kuykendall noted that their sponsor, Evansville Promise Neighborhood, an organization that supports schools where low-income students attend, helped ensure underrepresented schools were at the summit. 

He believes that hosting events like the summit helps bridge gaps marginalized communities face in education and development. 

“It’s critically important that young men have an opportunity to come together,” Kuykendall said. “It’s often hard. We got some tough topics that we’re talking about today. We’ve had some shootings in our community. That’s why we have a mental health representative here today. We have clergy represented here today to make sure these young people know there’s plenty of adults in our community who are there for them if they ask for help, if they need it.”