The caliber of the speakers, the abundance of resources and being in Historic Savannah combined to make Georgia Southern University's National Youth At-Risk Conference a "must do"! Larry Bell jumped started this year's conference and got everyone "fired up right from the get go". He brought relevance, energy and a sense of urgency to the floor. I was honored along with just about everyone else in the audience for his honoring those of us in this difficult field.

All of the speakers were enthusiastic and excited about what they are doing to bring awareness to the neglected at-risk youth. If I had to pick the one workshop which I enjoyed the most at the NYAR it would be Dr. Stephen Sroka's, "The Power of One" simply because when the session ended he hugged and gave a wrist band to just about everyone who attended. He even hugged me twice! "Let's do it this time heart to heart!" What a heart warming way to inspire someone!

The Urban Leadership Institute's (Baltimore, MD) co-founders David Miller and LaMarr Darnell Shields were extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic and in harmony with each other while presenting their workshop titled " Keeping Our Eyes On The Prize: Engaging Boys of Color". Their enthusiasm grabbed your attention immediately and kept it throughout the entirety of the presentation. They clearly succeeded in in reaching their goal of Focusing Youth Service Providers how to engaged and understand the many difficulties that Black and Latino Youth face everyday.

Christian Moore took us on a "roller coaster" to get his emphasis across. A ride "through the loop" and "crashing". What an imaginative approach to help adults learn how to help youth overcome their challenges in life through music, video, etc. Experience is what I gained from Ron Glodoski. Ron's fresh new perspective to connect with unmotivated students is gained from his personal life experiences. Ron's life exemplifies the strength of the human spirit.