Urban League Youth Summit at Wagner College The Urban League Youth Summit held workshops at Wagner College on Saturday July 29, 2000. Youths from around the country arrived for the workshops. They stayed on the campus of Wagner College and discovered the experience of living as a college student.

One of the workshops was Teens and Technology. HarlemLive's Rashand Harris, Associate Director of HarlemLive, was a panelist who told the youths about HarlemLive and how teens can start their own web site for their community. The Workshops educated the youth on how they can get involved in technology. They were encouraged to avoid being part of the digital divide. The digital divide is the gap between those who have access to computers and those who do not.

Several panelists told the youths what they do and how they got involved in technology. They also told them that 5 to 10 years from now the world will be about technology. The youths need to get the knowledge now, not later.

Mr. Harris said that in the past, black people were not given a fair start in the world because they were enslaved. Now we are all getting a fair start with this new technology so we need to act now to become billionaires, creating our own business or we will be left behind again. Youths were encouraged to take technology classes in schools. There will be many technology jobs that are not filled in business. Youths need to get the skills for jobs in technology so they are not forced to take underpaid jobs folding boxes in the pizza shop down the block.

Krystel Hall and Shaiee Taylor, both 18 years old, attended the summit. They were members of the New light program from Tallahassee, Florida, which comes to the summit each year. Shaiee felt that it was important to discuss positive solutions to problems. She also learned more about technology and computers. She had not been sure she wanted to obtain a degree in the computer field. But, after what she heard today, it was easier to make her decision. It was Krystel's first time at the summit and she wanted to experience what it was like being at the summit. She learned how to communicate with others no matter what age, gender, background and what region they come from.

David Lowenstein was the moderator of the session and invited the guests and panelists to the summit. He works at the National Urban League as a program coordinator for the technology program. He has a passion for young people. He wants to assure them that technology is here, now and is the future. He tried to bring some people who are experienced in technology to talk to the youths. The message that he is trying to convey is that technology is critically important. It is everywhere and is the key to high-paying jobs and empowerment. His goal for the summit is that youths leave energized and aware of the opportunities. As young people they need to organize and make their voice heard and be active in the community. His reasons for success are God, his mother and grandmother. He tried to model himself on leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. He tells youths to be like those leaders so they can be successes in life.

Mabel Phifer was a panelist who attended the summit because of David Lowenstein. Mr. Lowenstein had been an intern for her when he was in high school. She got involved in technology while using it as a tool to provide access to students and teachers all over the country and, hopefully, in Africa. She sees future technology getting smaller, faster and having an even greater impact on our lives by providing more information to more people instantaneously. She also stated that information is power and we need to grab technology, embrace it and be more powerful. She achieved her success through hard work. She tells youths to work hard, be committed and pass it on to someone else.

Brian Komar was also on the panel for the summit. His message to the youths was that they can use technology to experience the civil rights movement as well. He got involved in civil rights because he wanted to help create a just society. He tells youths "Don't stop." They can use technology to help the civil rights cause. He is looking to see the next Malcolm X arise through technology. His success is through his organization, The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. Those who came before him paved the way for him and others and that is what he is doing for youths today.

The whole weekend was very informative for those youths who came to Wagner College for the youth summit. They were able to hear from people who were successes in the technology field. Youths were given information on technology and what they can do with it. They even gave me more information about technology and how I can utilize it more in my career after college. There will be more job opportunities that will be available if I do so.