TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The Culture and Youth Committee of the Black Belt Action Commission (BBAC) will be hosting the SOS Leadership Summit for middle school students on The University of Alabama campus Friday-Saturday, July 22-23.

Students who live in Black Belt counties and will be in grades 6, 7 and 8 in the upcoming school year are eligible to participate. The summit is co-sponsored at UA by the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Continuing Studies, and the Division of Community Affairs.

According to Dr. Margaret Purcell, the project coordinator, the event is designed to introduce students to the basic democratic principals of shared leadership and open communication. Purcell is a BBAC commissioner and is assistant director of UA Child Development Resources. CDR is a community service component of the UA College of Human Environmental Sciences.

“SOS stands for share-our-selves, we want the students to feel supported and safe so that they can honestly share their feelings, concerns, and ideas,” Purcell said.

Through a discussion format, students will be able to define the problems that they face in everyday life, and they will also be responsible for crafting solutions to the problems. After the summit, students will be challenged to present their ideas to adult and student leaders in their communities.

Students do not pay anything to participate in the summit and they will be provided meals, lodging in a residence hall on Friday night, a T-shirt and snacks. Summit activities will take place at the Bryant Conference Center.

“The committee members are committed to providing a caring and comfortable setting for the participants so that the students will be empowered to enact positive change,” Purcell said.

Research indicates that middle school is a time when many young people make life affecting decisions. By engaging students in positive, youth-centered activities, students are able to see that they can make significant contributions to their communities.

“Peer pressure is very strong at this time in a person’s life, in order for an event to have impact, the students need to feel valued, respected and supported by their peers, and SOS is just such an event,” Purcell said.