LONG ISLAND YOUTH SUMMIT
AN OVERVIEW
Long Island Youth Summit is a year-round program for high school students that teaches them how to
do research and think about creative solutions for issues that impact the area where they live. The
Summit is a very successful private-public partnership with private businesses sponsoring the program in
which many local high schools choose to participate. The largest private sponsors of this program are
The North Shore LIJ Health System (the second largest health system in the U.S. with $6 billion yearly
budget), SouthWest Airlines, the Estee Lauder companies, National Grid, PSEG, Dowling College, and a
number of local small businesses, law offices, and private individuals. Public partners in this program
include many non-profit organizations that provide expert guidance to participating high school
students. These organizations include Vision Long Island (a Smart Growth Movement organization); the
Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, and a number of
other organizations. Public partners also include the many school districts that participate in the
program.
The program works as follows: every year the LIYS Steering Committee selects topics that will be
featured in the next year’s program based on the feedback form teachers and high school students who
participate in this program. The LIYS webpage is updated with the latest questions and research links
for these topics. High school teachers start working with students early in the academic year to discuss
Summit topics and guide students in research. Some high schools such as Kings Park High School in
Kings Park and East Islip High School in Islip integrate LIYS materials into their curricula. Students work
for a full semester on their projects and receive a high school course grade for their work. Top projects
are then selected by teachers for a submission to the LIYS Selection Committee. The Committee
consists of experts in the Summit topics.
In 2015 the LIYS topics include socio-medical topics (bullying, prescription drug abuse, and mental health
and well being), environmental topics (the issue of solid waste, issues of surface and ground water
pollution, the topic of the renewable energy, and the issue of the impact of climate change on Long
Island), and socio-economic topics (race, class, and education; the topic of living on Long Island: housing,
economy and community; and the topic of leadership). Students use different formats for their original
projects: Essays, PowerPoint presentations, videos, art and photographic art to show their knowledge of
the issue and to propose innovative solutions.
In 2014 the LIYS Selection Committee committee received submissions from over 600 high school
students from 36 school districts. Three hundred students were selected to participate as finalists in the
Youth Summit conference that took place in March 2014. During the conference students worked in
topic workshops together with experts in their chosen field to develop innovative solutions to an issue.
Top projects in each category receive awards and winners become eligible for paid internships with the
Summit’s private partners such as the North Shore LIJ Health System, National Grid, and Renaissance
Development. Students complete their internships during the summer, and in September of each year
the preparation for the next year’s Summit begins.
The LIYS program started in 2009 with about 100 students participating from eight school districts; six
issue topics that were featured in the first Summit. The first Summit was featured on the cover of the
major local newspaper, Newsday, and the word about the Summit continued to spread to different
school districts. In 2011, the North Shore LIJ Health System joined the program as its lead sponsor and
as a major participant on the Steering Committee of the program. By 2014, the program featured ten
topics, received submissions from over 500 students from 36 school districts and received $19,000 in
sponsorship funds.