Second Annual Teen Changemaker Summit and Civic Symposium 2026

On April 25, the Westchester Youth Alliance partnered with the YMCA of Central & Northern Westchester, State Senator Shelley Mayer's office, and Family Services of Westchester for our Second Annual Teen Changemaker Summit & Civic Symposium at White Plains Public Library — and our young leaders showed up! The day featured speeches from teen leaders on civic engagement, interactive sessions on community mapping and the distinction between advocacy and action, and culminated in the civic symposium, where student teams pitched original community change projects to a panel of judges.

Congratulations to our first-place winners — Zach and Ben from Scarsdale and Loremy from Yonkers — who earned $500 in seed funding for the Westchester Youth Club Network, a project tackling the opportunity gap in after-school clubs by connecting students across the county. Our second- and third-place teams brought equally bold ideas addressing transportation, immigrant rights, and teen mental health. We're proud of every team that presented.

Thank you to our judges — Angel Gray, Shelley Mayer, and Ray Sanchez — and to the New York Community Trust, whose generous funding helped make this event possible.