North America Youth Convention 2023

6100 Main St,Houston TX 77005

11 February, 2023

Description

North America Youth Convention 2023 is organized at Rice University by Mentor Portal; a nonprofit organization focused on providing youth with academic and spiritual development and strengthening their civic, moral, and ethical values. Mentor Portal's mission is to build strong moral values, social capital, academic success, and leadership capabilities for youth and the future generation. We aim to help Young Professionals, predominantly college students, have a proud identity and represent their values at their best level. This convention will provide a set of skills for each young fellow to personally develop themselves and set to be role models for future generations. With the rising awareness of mental health after the pandemic era, this year, we want to focus specifically on our university students' mental health. The theme chosen this year will provide a skill set for the convention participants to be beneficial for their academic success and mental health. Our university students selected this year's topic within the theme as: "Misperceived Success: Success isn't about who you'll be; but who you're today!" Throughout the convention, there will be Inspirational TalksWorkshop SessionsBest Practice SharingMusic and Art PerformancesNetworking andmuch more!A wide range of speakers from various fields will stimulate young minds through their personal experience and wisdom. Tentative Program Schedule10:00 AM 10:10 AM Opening Speech 10:10 AM 10:25 AM Welcome Speech 10:25 AM 11:10 AM Talk by Tracy Ward 11:10 AM 11:15 AM Workshop Style Explanation 11:15 AM 12:00 PM Workshop Session - 1 12:00 PM 12:10 PM Networking Break 12:10 PM 12:25 PM Best Practice Sharing Session - 1 12:25 PM 1:10 PM Talk by Dr. Ori Z Soltes 1:10 PM 2:10 PM Noon Break 2:10 PM 2:30 PM Music & Art Performance 2:30 PM 3:15 PM Talk by Ahmet Muharrem Atlig 3:15 PM 3:25 PM Networking Break - Networking Break 3:25 PM 3:40 PM Best Practice - 2 3:40 PM 4:10 PM Afternoon Break 4:10 PM 4:55 PM Workshop Session - 2 4:55 PM 5:15 PM Music & Art Performance 5:15 PM 5:25 PM Awards Ceremony 5:25 PM 5:35 PM Closing Speech Guest Speakers:Tracy Ward: LPC – Counselor "Latifa" Tracy Ward has been a therapist for over 25 years. In her life, she wears many hats: wife, mother, sister, daughter, therapist, teacher, and Sufi. Ms. Ward earned her Bachelor's of Education from Concordia Lutheran College in Austin, Texas, and her Master's of Education from Southwest Texas State University. She attended the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism for 3 years and is currently pursuing a Master's of Divinity. She has also completed two units of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) classes toward becoming a certified chaplain. As a therapist, she has worked in prisons, parole and probation offices, pain clinics, and on a National Guard Post. She has extensive experience as a therapist in the areas of sexual abuse, chronic pain, trauma, wellness training, and spiritual healing. She has been married for 31 years to a patient man and has had the pleasure of raising two sons. Her hobbies include hiking, walking, fishing, gardening, and being with her family. Dr. Ori Z. Soltes:Professor of Teaching, Georgetown University Ori Z. Soltes is a Teaching Professor of theology, art, history, philosophy, and politics. He is the former Director of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, where he curated over 80 exhibitions on various subjects. He is the author of articles, exhibition catalogs, essays, and books on a range of topics Our Sacred Signs: How Jewish, Christian and Muslim Art Draw from the Same Source, Searching for Oneness: Mysticism in the Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and Untangling the Web: A Thinking Person’s Guide to Why the Middle East is a Mess and Always Has Been. He is a board member of the Rumi Forum, a nonprofit organization in Washington DC that aims to foster interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding. He recently published a book titled Between Thought and Action: An Intellectual Biography of Fethullah Gülen. Ahmet Muharrem Atlig: Chaplain Dr. Atlig began his career at the Imams and Preachers Seminary in Izmir, Turkey, where he was ordained as an imam and Muslim cleric. He received his doctorate in philosophy from the Theology Department at the University of West Coast and then served as the imam of the New Peckham Mosque in London. After relocating to the United States, Dr. Atlig completed the Clinical Pastoral Education program at VA New York Harbor Healthcare System and became a board-certified chaplain with HealthCare Chaplaincy Network in 2019. Before joining NYU Langone, he served as a chaplain at various New York City hospitals. Dr. Atlig speaks Turkish, Arabic, and English and is married with three children.