More than 80 youth and families gather for a full day of leadership training, legal education, and mental health awareness under the Black Legal Empowerment Initiative
The British Columbia Black Advocacy Society (BCBAS) hosted its first Black Teens and Youth Leadership Summit (founded by the Foundation for Black Communities) on August 17, 2026, at Surrey Library, drawing more than 80 participants in a day-long program aimed at building confidence, leadership, and practical life skills among Black youth across the province.
Delivered under BCBAS’s Black Legal Empowerment Initiative (BLEI), the summit brought together young people, parents, public speakers, legal advocates, mental health professionals, and career coaches for sessions spanning personal development, legal rights, goal setting, career planning, and wellbeing, reflecting the organization’s broader mission of combining community advocacy with hands-on programming for the next generation.
A Full Day of Learning and Connection
The program opened with welcoming remarks framing the day’s purpose: giving Black youth tools to build confidence, understand their rights, and chart paths toward personal and professional success.
Sessions throughout the day covered a wide range of themes. Alicia Adole, a UBC Media Studies and Master of Management student, opened the educational programming with a session on cultivating excellence, encouraging participants to treat personal growth as an ongoing discipline rather than a single achievement. Alex Anokwuru, a nursing student at Camosun College and the University of Victoria, followed with a session on public speaking and communication, framing confident self-expression as a foundation for leadership and self-advocacy.
At midday, BCBAS Executive Director John Atoyebi led a session on youth rights and advocacy, helping participants understand their rights and responsibilities as young Canadians and encouraging them to use their voices for themselves and on behalf of others in their communities. The session tied legal literacy directly to the summit’s leadership focus, reinforcing that informed young people are better equipped to navigate schools, workplaces, and community institutions.
The afternoon turned to future planning. Leadership and productivity strategist Coach Emem Nwogugu, founder of La Pax Life Project, led a goal-setting session emphasizing that lasting success comes from small, consistent actions rather than single decisions. Dr. Tracy Adole, co-founder of AFARO EDU, then guided participants through career discovery, encouraging them to weigh their interests, values, and long-term goals as they consider education and employment pathways.
Rounding out the program, Dr. Samsel Kenston led a session on mental health, addiction, and substance awareness, encouraging open conversation and stressing that seeking help is a sign of strength rather than weakness. The day closed with reflections tying together the summit’s themes, discipline, communication, legal awareness, goal-setting, and wellbeing, followed by a mindfulness session led by Shala Symonds, a registered social worker with Open Mind Counselling, giving participants space to reflect after a full day of engagement.
Investing in the Next Generation
Organizers say the summit reflects a core BLEI objective: building accessible spaces where Black youth can develop confidence, understand their legal rights, and connect with mentors and professionals who reflect their communities. With sessions spanning legal advocacy, career development, and mental health, the event combined practical skill-building with the kind of representation organizers say is often missing from mainstream youth programming.
The summit is part of BLEI’s broader five-phase initiative, which includes legal aid clinics, community interpreter certification, youth rights education, and policy advocacy, work BCBAS says it intends to continue expanding across the province in the months ahead.