The Substance Abuse Prevention Summit Returns to Detroit Oct. 25

Empowerment Zone Coalition (EZC) will focus on reclaiming youth lost to drugs and alcohol abuse

Empowerment Zone Coalition (EZC) is hosting a Substance Abuse Prevention Summit on Thursday, Oct. 25, at the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The summit, entitled “Rebuilding The Village: One Youth At A Time,” will start with a plenary session and include five workshops and a luncheon. 

Dr. Carl S. Taylor, a professor in the Department of Sociology, Senior Fellow in University Outreach and Engagement at Michigan State University, will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Taylor is an expert in youth culture, gangs and youth violence. His research aims at reducing youth violence and understanding problems faced by urban neighborhoods.    

Yusef “Bunchy” Shakur will also speak. At the age of 13, he co-founded the gang Zone-8 in Detroit. He was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison at the age of 19. He met his father for the first time in prison where he was also incarcerated. He is currently working on a master’s degree at the University of Michigan and is also a successful author, neighborhood organizer, activist, social entrepreneur, educator and father.

Dr. Taylor and Shakur were both featured in the Detroit Public Television documentary entitled "Pathways to Prison: A One Detroit Special” in 2017.

Reverend Solomon Kinloch Jr., pastor of Triumph Church, will be the luncheon speaker. Triumph Church has over 30,000 members and an impressive community outreach ministry.

Doreen-Turk White, executive director of EZC, hosted their last summit in 2005. She explained that “In light of the current opioid crisis and the violence associated with drugs and alcohol, it is time to reconvene thought leaders, activists and stakeholders from multiple sectors to help figure out how to reclaim our youth and rebuild our communities.

“I hope that this summit will bring people together with renewed energy and the latest information to start a movement for real change around this issue of substance abuse prevention."  

Tickets are $80 and can be purchased at http://www.ezcoalition.org/2018-substance-abuse-prevention-summit/.

For more information, call 313-921-9403.

Editor’s note: For interviews, stories or photo opportunities, please contact Delora Hall Tyler, APR, at 248-354-8705 or 248-755-6512 or email delorahtyler@firstmediagroup.net.

Contact:

Delora Hall Tyler, APR
​Office: 248-354-8705
​Cell: 248-755-6512
​Email: delorahtyler@firstmediagroup.net

Source: Empowerment Zone Coalition