Join Kelley Luckett and Daiya Thompson of the Louisville YMCA as they discuss lessons learned over the last two years of implementing Love Notes in Teen Vibe Camps using peer facilitators.

Teen Vibe Camps, offer a transformative blend of summer camp nostalgia and comprehensive curriculum sessions. Through activities like podcasting, music, and social media graphics, these camps foster a sense of community and belonging. Statistical evidence showcases significant shifts in positive identity markers among attendees, particularly among LGBTQ+ youth, who form trusted adult connections and show higher program engagement.

Complementing this approach is an innovative Peer Facilitator model, which introduces youth as Love Notes facilitators. Peer facilitators excel in building trust, fostering community, and encouraging participation outscoring adult facilitators in quality observation scores. Through a dual-track system involving collaboration with local high schools and self-selection from camp attendees, peer facilitators are trained in the curriculum as well as in Positive Youth Development, Social Justice Youth Development, Trauma-Informed Care, and facilitation techniques. Testimonials highlight the profound personal growth experienced by peer facilitators.

Objectives: Participants will:

• Understand the Teen Vibe Camps model and its impact on fostering positive identity development and community engagement among youth, particularly vulnerable populations such as LGBTQ+ youth.
• Explore the Peer Facilitator (PF) model as an innovative approach to implementing Love Notes, focusing on the benefits of peer-led facilitation in building trust, rapport, and participation among youth participants.
• Acquire practical skills and resources for implementing aspects of both the Teen Vibe Camps and PF models within participants’ own organizations, taking into account the organizational strengths and addressing potential challenges in program execution.

Presenter: Kelley Luckett; Senior Director of Community Integrated Health, Louisville YMCA & Daiya Thompson; Love Notes Peer Facilitator

Who should attend: Grant managers and coordinators who want to increase their impact through youth voice, relationship skills facilitators using TPP, SRA, and HM funding, community organizations who want to reach more youth, youth professionals interested in peer programing, anyone who seeks to reach young people in innovative ways.