How Chanise Lee Created South Florida’s Only 100% Youth-Led Summit for Activism

2019 Nyah Fellow, Chanice Lee, shared how she created South Florida's only 100% youth-led and organized summit centered around activism.

The Story

One night in August 2018, I fell asleep and I had a dream that I planned an event where young people from the South Florida area gathered to learn about activism, community organizing, and come up with solutions for community issues. The vision was so clear that I just knew for sure it was a sign prompting me to turn it into reality. I immediately thought to myself, “I have to make this happen.”

The next day, I started contacting other young activists, telling them about my vision, and asking if they were interested in helping me plan the event. I made it known that everything I was saying was based entirely off of a dream, nonetheless everyone still trusted my vision and within a few days I had an entire team of young people ready to make the summit happen! That’s how Florida Changemakers was born.

For 5 months, I had planning meetings in the middle of my living room and while everyone on my team (including myself) were high school school students juggling academics, we were also securing sponsorships, handling outreach efforts, and fundraising entirely on our own. The inaugural 2019 summit gathered around 60 students from the tri-county area for a fun and engaging day filled with workshops on racial justice, LGBTQ+ issues, self care for teen activists, and more.

Attendees had the opportunity to not only learn about a wide array of issues, but also had the chance to connect and strategize with other youth who were interested in the same things they were. From the very beginning, everything was 100% youth-led and organized. It was always my intention for it to be that way because I know and understand the power young people create when we have the opportunity to work together and learn from each other.

The Connection

My Nyah Project fellowship taught me the importance of doing everything with purpose and intention. It taught me the value of being open to to exploring unknown territory - even when it may not make complete sense at the beginning. Those are two things I’ve kept in mind that have helped me make Florida Changemakers what it is today.

What’s Next

The second annual Florida Changemakers Summit was postponed due to COVID-19, but next time, we’ll do it bigger and better. Last year, the summit was all about education. Our next theme of civic engagement is designed to equip youth attendees with tangible tools and strategies that’ll prepare them to be ready to go back out into their communities knowing how to advocate for issues that matter to them the most. From climate change to reproductive rights, we’re covering the issues young people are currently most concerned about through a series of engaging workshops, panels, speakers, and activities. As always, it’ll be 100% youth-led and organized.

Overall, my goal of the Florida Changemakers Summit is to serve as a stepping stone for young people in the South Florida area to go out and become changemakers in their own right. Like Harriet Tubman said: “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.”