In 1996, the Inter-Ethnic Forum brought together a group of teens from public and private Houston-area high schools to discuss the concept of a teen summit on race relations and to learn from them the topics they wanted to discuss. The first Teen Summit on Race Relations was held at the University of Houston in 1997. Approximately 400 students attended representing twenty-one schools. The Teen Summit on Race Relations has grown every year. In the last several years there have been approximately 1,200 students from 75 schools, public and private, from the Greater Houston area.

Most of the cost of the Teen Summit on Race Relations is covered by the school districts. The facility is donated by the school district and all the planning and secretarial work is provided by the school districts. On the day of the Teen Summit on Race Relations the school districts cover the cost of transportation and substitute teachers. The T-shirts, food, and supplies for the summit are donated by Houston area business and charitable organizations.

How the Teen Summit on Race Relations Works

Each year all the superintendents and principals of the Greater Houston area public and private schools are invited to send an ethnically diverse group of sixteen students from grades 9-12 and at least one teacher or counselor to the Teen Summit on Race Relations. There is a pre-summit training session to prepare teachers and counselors for their role as facilitators at the summit as well as facilitators of the action plan their students will create for their school.

The Teen Summit on Race Relations begins with an ethnically diverse group of entertainers. After a short welcome and brief comments from a student speaker, the students go to their assigned small groups. The groups are comprised of sixteen students, each from a different public or private school. Each group has a teacher or counselor who facilitates.

Using the Problem Solving Method the students discuss the following topics: Children of Inter-Racial Marriages, Inter-racial Relationships and Dating, Racial Discrimination, Stereotyping and Profiling, Racist Groups and Hate Crimes or Incidents. The two- hour group discussion ends with an implementation plan for community, school, and individual.

The students eat lunch with their home school and develop an action plan for their school. The day ends with a motivational presentation by a dynamic adult speaker, challenging the students to go back to their school as change agents and implement their plan.

What I Liked Best -
Student comments about the Teen Summit on Race Relations.
"Being able to speak freely about controversial topic”
"Coming up with a plan to solve the problem.”
"Interacting with different people. The group was very diverse.”
"Being able to speak your mind about the issue without strict criticism.”
"The facilitator and the other students in the group, and how open they were.”
"Hearing all of the point of views by the different races represented in my group.”
"Understanding how each individual thinks differently but can still come together.”
"The diversity of people and the ability to talk about things that are not usually common conversation.”
"That we got to meet new people and discuss real life issues open-minded.”
"Having the opportunity to see so many mixed cultures in one area on one accord.”