Second Annual Black Youth Leadership Summit kicks off Saturday in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Several agencies are helping students prepare for school at an upcoming Black Youth Leadership Summit this weekend.

Gateway Educational Services along with support from CommUnify believe this is the largest event of its kind in Santa Barbara County.

The summit gives students who identify as Black/African American the opportunity to learn, gather and form community with one another.

Both organizations hope this inspires underserved students of color through education, culture, and community.

"Resiliency and leadership development specifically focused on black African American youth is not focused in our county so we wanted to focus on this," said cofounder and coexecutive director Connie Alexander of Gateway Educational Services.

"It's an excellent opportunity for our black youth to find community to connect and to be prepared for this academic school year," said director of community services Kemba Lawrence of Gateway Educational Services.

The summit is held this Saturday from 8:30AM to 5:00 p.m. at Santa Barbara City College West Campus.

For more information, visit: https://gatewayeducationalservices.org/.