Reading youth gathered for a workshop focused on empowering them to make healthy choices, build resilience and become active, positive forces in their communities.
The fourth annual Youth Empowerment Summit, held at Tec Centro Berks, 450 S. Sixth St., brought together about 100 middle and high school students from the Reading School District on May 21 for discussions centered on resilience, civic engagement and public safety.
Hosted by the Berks Latino Workforce Development Corporation and the Berks Community Action Program, the event also served to connect students with community resources.
“This is really a collaboration of community organizations and individuals who are really concerned about young people,” said Yvonne Stroman, community programs specialist with the Council on Chemical Abuse. “We really want them to be informed from a perspective of being empowered, being resilient, and making good and healthy choices.”
Yvonne Stromann emcees a Youth Empowerment program at Tec Centro Berks, 450 S. Sixth St., on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Stroman said the summit was organized through partnerships involving the Reading School District, the city of Reading, state Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz’s office, COCA, BCAP, Not One More and other community groups.
The event also included participation from the Reading Police Department and Berks County juvenile probation officials.
The students were not just attendees, Stroman stressed.
The summit was designed to give them a voice and allow them to share their thoughts about the various issues that affect them.
Ana Castillo, a 14-year-old eighth grader at Southern Middle School, said there is a need for more youth activities and family-centered community events in public spaces.
Ana Castillo, 14, a student at Southern Middle School, attends a Youth Empowerment program at Tec Centro Berks, 450 S. Sixth St., on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Such activities can help build relationships among young people, unite the community, reduce conflict and strengthen perceptions of safety, she said.
“I feel like if there’s more activities in City Park and things like that the community would get along more,” Castillo said. “I feel like violence would go down.”
Castillo added that opportunities for young people to gather can help them feel less isolated and build support systems outside their homes.
Stroman said organizers want students to understand that support systems exist throughout the community, and that young people are not alone when facing challenges.
“What we know is that youth need to feel seen, and more importantly, they need to feel supported,” she said. “One of our approaches is to show youth that we are here for them and we care about them.”
The summit included panel discussions featuring representatives from organizations working directly with city youth.
Shawn Bridges, director of outreach at Not One More, videos the proceedings during a Youth Empowerment program at Tec Centro Berks, 450 S. Sixth St., on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Among them was Shawn Bridges, director of outreach for Not One More, a violence prevention initiative affiliated with Penn State Berks and funded through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
Bridges said the organization works primarily with young people ages 13 to 24 who have been affected by violence, either as victims or offenders.
The group operates mentoring programs for students identified as struggling or at risk, a Safe Corridors program outside several Reading schools and Peaceful Parks initiatives in city parks during the summer, he said.
“In order to have a safe community, we come together as community,” Bridges said. “We try to show that we are here for each other.”
Stroman said organizers hope the summit continues helping students become aware of the programs and opportunities already available throughout Reading.
“We can have all the resources in the world,” she said, “but if people can’t access them or don’t know about them, then chances are they’re not really doing good service for our communities.”