Since 1984, the Merrill-Palmer institute for Child and Family Development has hosted the Metropolitan Detroit Teen Conference, bringing together ninth and 10th graders from a wide range of schools — public, private, parochial and charter schools from urban and suburban communities. “The goal of the conference is for these teens — no matter who they are or where they come from — to discover for themselves that they have many, many more similarities than differences,” says Associate Director
Gail Brumitt.

“I went to the Metro Detroit Teen Conference as a nervous, anxious and unsure 10th-grader,” says Shealynn Avery, program participant. “I left the conference full of energy and confidence, glad that I had opened up. Over the next couple months, I sprouted. I worked harder than ever on my writing and photography. Next semester, I will attend Brown University in their photojournalism program.”

The conference achieves this goal through structured discussions that deal with six broad topics: self, family, friends, school, community and the future. They include challenging questions such as, “How do you help promote understanding in your family?” and “What should you give back to your community?”

“This daylong conference has such a profound impact that many of the students exchange contact information and express a desire to attend again the next year,” Brumitt says.