Grand Valley student organizes Detroit youth conference

Grand Valley sophomore Stepha’N Quicksey wanted to create a space where youth leaders in the city of Detroit could have a voice, but was not sure what he could do.

“I asked myself, what can I do as a young person even though I am at Grand Valley?” said Quicksey. “How can I still reach out to my city?”

During his first year year on campus, Quicksey had the idea to put together a conference of young Detroit leaders. Last summer, that idea became a reality. 

First, he collaborated with students he had previously worked with in Detroit to form a youth advisory board. Then, he reached out to United Way of Southeast Michigan and the Skillman Foundation, a Detroit organization that helps create pathways for students to graduate high school and prepare for successful lives. Quicksey interned for the foundation while he was in high school.

After months of preparation, the Detroit Youth Leadership Conference took place on August 20. The one-day conference was structured around hearing young people voice their opinions in areas such as education and neighborhood conditions. The conference was structured around panel discussions where city youth could interact with leaders from the areas that were being discussed.

“The conference was youth voice at its best,” said Quicksey, a public, nonprofit and health administration major.

Around 200 people gathered for the event. He called the conference a success, and said it is a stepping-stone for greater things. In the future, Quicksey would like to organize another event that would put into place action steps needed to implement change in Detroit.

“Action is really what is going to transform the city,” he said. “It is easy to sit down and chat about it and come up with these good ideas, but the implementation is really what is going to make the difference.”

Quicksey values the unique perspective that young people offer. He said students who are currently in the Detroit education system can easily identify what needs to be improved. 

“Young people need to be considered as partners in their communities,” Quicksey said. “Because it’s time to try something different.

“You hear all the time that young people are the future and I take that in such a literal way. I look at it this way: a 15-year-old today is going to be 20 and what is their future going to look like? How you invest in that 15-year-old and others is going to determine what the city will look like in five and 10 years.”

Quicksey said he would like to create sustainable relationships between young people and Detroit’s City Council, allowing for ongoing conversation and action on issues within the city. He also hopes to someday create Detroit’s first youth council. 

“I am passionate about transforming the community and doing everything I can do to improve the quality of life,” said Quicksey.

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Grand Valley’s United Way campaign runs through October 17. For more information or to contribute, visit gvsu.edu/unitedway.