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The Catalyst Summit!

THE SUMMIT DEADLINE HAS BEEN PUSHED BACK.  THERE ARE STILL SPOTS LEFT FOR THE CATALYST SUMMIT, PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION TODAY!

 
Trust us, it's going to be awesome!
If you are reading this, then you must be at least a little bit interested in what Catalyst is all about. The Catalyst summit is the perfect opportunity to find out. Yeah, we have a ton of great info on the website, but you really won't get the full experience until you actually be the Catalyst at the Catalyst Summit in August.

Get ready for hands-on activism and advocacy sessions.  Learn how to talk to the media, meet with your local officials, design creative activism events, use art to complement your campaign, build an online movement, and more! You'll even have the chance to host your very own activism event in the Twin Cities.  And did we mention the carnival?  We said it, carnival! Celebrate with Catalyst members from across the state.  You're going to be working with them once you get back home, so you'd better start having fun with them now!

Here are the basics. The summit is August 15-17, 2007.  It's at the University of Minnesota's St. Paul Campus.  Catalyst will cover the cost of your stay and your meals, all you have to do is get there. If you are starting 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade in the fall of 2007 you can apply. 

 All the details are in the summit application, click here to download it. 

Summit App PDF 

Summit App Word Document 

Once you fill it out, you can email it to us at summit@bethecatalyst.org, or mail it to us at:

Attn: Catalyst
2500 University Avenue W
Suite D1
St. Paul, MN 55114

 Chaperone/parent information

    Catalyst summit participants will be closely chaperoned throughout the event by a combination of Catalyst staff, local program coordinators, and university security. The summit will be hosted at the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul Campus, 1458 N Cleveland Avenue St. Paul, MN 55108. Regular university classes will NOT be in session, and Catalyst is the only group hosting an overnight event on these dates. Our goal is to provide a five to one youth to adult chaperone ratio. Catalyst staff will serve as chaperones, and we will be contacting each student to to identify the chaperone that will be in charge of them as students apply.  We expect that many students will be applying from existing community organizations, and that program coordinators will be available to serve as chaperones.

Agenda

Wednesday August 15:

3:00-4:00 Arrive at summit location
5:00-6:00 Dinner, Bailey Hall
6:00-7:30 Beginning presentation
7:30-11:00 Night Activity at the St. Paul Student Center

Thursday August 16:
Day Two:
8:30-9:30 Breakfast, Bailey Hall
9:30-12:00 Programming (There will be concurrent sessions for adults during programming times)
12:00-1:00 Lunch, Bailey Hall
1:10-4:00 Programming
4:00-4:30 Closing Session
4:30-5:30 - Break time
5:30 - 7:00 Dinner
7:00 - 11:30 Carnival on the Mall

Friday August 17:
8:30-9:30 Breakfast, Bailey Hall
9:30-10:10 Morning Group Session
10:10 - 12:30 Activism/Media event
12:30/1:00 - 1:30 Lunch
1:30 - 3:00 Closing session (Action planning, Explain incentive program)
3:00 on: check out and departure

We plan to do our best to match youth with adult coordinators that they are already working with in their communities, or will have the opportunity to work with in their communities in the future. The Catalyst staff with work closely with youth participants, parents, and adult chaperones to determine these arrangements. The chaperones will be keeping tabs on the students during the day and programming hours. The students will be seperated by sex and by floor, and also University of Minnesota security will be provided overnight to monitor the dorms on each floor as well as the front door through the next morning.

    A registered nurse will also be on site throughout the summit, and Catalyst will be contacting each student and parent(s), one the student is confirmed to attend, to discuss any allergies, prescriptions or other medical needs.
Catalyst will be providing additional information regarding these and other logistics once applicants are confirmed to attend the summit. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact our staff with any specific questions, 651-270-6589.
 

Want even more info about Catalyst? Well you asked for it. 

What is our strategy?

You hear the words “youth empowerment” and “youth led movement” over and over again, but what do they really mean?  To us, they mean that youth are taking a strong leadership role, and that Catalyst is giving them the skills to do so.  They mean that youth are viewed as equal partners, as talented advocates, and are valued contributors to the tobacco control community in Minnesota.  Ideally, we are out to create a youth led, adult assisted movement.  We want the Catalyst youth board and Catalyst members to shape the look, feel and voice of Catalyst.  We want them to help set the movement’s agenda, and come up with the themes and strategies Catalyst will promote and implement to create change in communities across the state.

These young people will be the voice, the arms, the legs, and the creative mind of Catalyst.  The Catalyst staff and the adult advisory board will be their “technical assistance” team.  We hope to help them learn everything they need to know about the tobacco industry, the tobacco control community, the media, public officials and more.  We hope that this knowledge and our support will empower them and encourage them to take action and create positive change in Minnesota.

And last but not least, our strategy is fun.  We’ve all either been youth advocates and/or worked with them over the years, and we know that it is important to keep things interesting and fun.  We need to catch their attention and keep it, and we need to make Catalyst something that teens see as exciting, worthwhile and ultimately fun, so that they will continue to invest their time and energy in making Catalyst awesome.

Long term goals

Where does Catalyst see itself in five years?

Actually, Catalyst is funded for two years, with a chance to reapply for a third year of funding.  Ultimately, we do want to help youth advocates create a movement that is sustainable, and that will continue to have a strong presence across Minnesota well beyond the terms of this contract.  So, the five year plan is in the works!

For now, our plan is to work with the Catalyst youth board and membership to host three major media advocacy events each year.  This will likely continue to include an event at our summit, which Catalyst will host each year, and two additional events throughout the year.  In addition, the Catalyst team and the Catalyst website will serve as a resource for members to organize media advocacy and activism events in their communities on an ongoing basis.  Just as the Catalyst staff and adult advisory board will be a technical assistance team to Catalyst youth advocates, we hope the movement becomes a similar resource to community organizations and tobacco control advocates across the state who are interested in partnering with youth.

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