WILMINGTON, DE – The City of Wilmington’s Department of Parks and Recreation will host its first-ever Next Level Youth Leadership Summit on Thursday, August 14, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Community Education Building, located at 1200 N. French Street.

The summit is a one-of-a-kind experience—fully conceived, planned, and executed by interns participating in the new Next Level Youth Internship Program. The internship, launched by Parks and Recreation [wilmingtonde.us9.list-manage.com] this summer, supports young adults ages 18 to 20 as part of the City’s Youth Career Development initiative [wilmingtonde.us9.list-manage.com].

“This summit is a celebration of youth voice, leadership, and vision,” said Dr. Melody Phillips, Director of Wilmington’s Department of Parks and Recreation. “Our interns have taken full ownership of this event—from developing the agenda and leading breakout sessions to coordinating logistics and serving as keynote speakers. Their work reflects the power of investing in our young people and trusting them to lead.”

Throughout the summer, the interns met weekly to build the summit from the ground up. Youth teams formed subcommittees to manage catering, registration, venue coordination, advertising, and more. The agenda includes youth-led workshops on career readiness, personal development, and financial literacy, including a special session co-facilitated with Bank of America.

“This is exactly the kind of energy and initiative we want to support,” said Mayor John Carney. “When we give our young people the tools and trust to lead, they rise to the challenge and remind all of us what’s possible. I’m proud of our Parks and Recreation team for creating this opportunity and proud of the youth who have made it their own.”

The event will feature remarks from Dr. Phillips and youth leaders Nasir Bryant and Ololade Olubowale, who will also serve as keynote speakers. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Media are invited and encouraged to attend.

To register, scan the QR code on the flyer below or visit youth-summit-2025.vercel.app [wilmingtonde.us9.list-manage.com]. The deadline to register is Thursday, August 7, 2025.

For more information, contact Nichole Torrence at ntorrence@wilmingtonde.gov.

###