Media Advisory: UB social work researcher and students lead summit on youth leadership

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Annahita Ball, an assistant professor in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work (SSW) is co-leading this year’s Challenge 2 Change on Thurs. Nov. 21.

Ball and several local school districts developed Challenge 2 Change to help high school students become thoughtful leaders in the areas of racial understanding and social justice.

The summit begins at 9 a.m at Banchetti by Rizzo’s at 550 North French Road in Amherst. More than 200 high school youth will participate in this year’s Summit, hosted by Sweet Home Central School District.

Ball is working with graduate student volunteers in the SSW who will facilitate small group dialogue with the high school students on matters of diversity, privilege and oppression.

Challenge 2 Change in WNY began in 2014, modeled after a similar youth program in Missouri that developed as a response to the civil unrest that emerged in Ferguson.

The objective was to provide high school students with a forum to express their feelings and concerns. Based on intergroup dialogue, Challenge2Change has been a successful vehicle for high school students to responsibly and respectfully discuss difficult issues in an emotionally safe environment.

“We have an opportunity to build awareness of the value of conversations about these issues and to prepare high school students for these discussions as a means of creating change in their own schools,” says Ball.

But the lessons gained from Challenge 2 Change are mutually beneficial to both the high school participants and the graduate school facilitators in the SSW.

“We’re trying to create learning opportunities for our graduate students rooted in the context of social work practice,” she says. “Programs like Challenge 2 Change allow our graduate students to apply what they’re learning in the classroom to an actual community setting. This valuable experience teaches them how to be flexible and adapt to their current context so they’re better prepared when it’s time for them to enter the work force.”

Ball’s involvement with Challenge 2 Change began when the administrators and staff in the Amherst Central School District approached her on how to build programing centered on diversity.

“Challenge 2 Change is a perfect fit for me,” she says. “It speaks to my passion for inclusive learning environments and is a great opportunity for area high school students and students in the School of Social Work.”