Urban Summit Series

Wayne County Community College District’s Institute for Social Progress Presents Youth Focused Conference with Special Guests: Bestselling Author Shaka Senghor, Detroit Pistons Guard Chaz Lanier, Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, Bankole Thompson, and More

DETROIT, Mich., – Nov.3, 2025– Nationally renowned authors, civic leaders, educators, and medical authorities are gathering Wednesday, November 5, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for Wayne County Community College District’s (WCCCD’s) Detroit Urban Summit Series: Youth Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Rebuilding Communities and Lives. The Summit will be hosted by WCCCD Chancellor Dr. Curtis L. Ivery at the redesigned WCCCD Culinary Arts & Banquet Center at the Denise Wellons-Glover Welcome Center on the Northwest Campus, located at 8200 West Outer Drive in Detroit.

Youth Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Rebuilding Communities and Lives is the first series of summits convened by WCCCD Chancellor Dr. Curtis L. Ivery focusing on the complex social, educational, and mental health issues that impact the success and vitality of young people across the nation. This is the first of a series of national youth conferences, part of WCCCD’s Urban Summit Series, that examines these issues through the lens of our younger generations, and the unique solutions that may be brought to bear.

“Our mission has always been to provide pathways to better lives through higher education,” said WCCCD Chancellor Dr. Curtis L. Ivery. “Providing forums that build broader understanding of the barriers that our young people face in growing to their full potential is critical to building a national dialogue of how we can remove those barriers and pull together to thrive in a new era with a range of pressures older generations did not experience in the same way.”

Featured speakers and panelists include Resilience Expert and New York Times Bestselling author Shaka Senghor, Detroit Pistons Shooting Guard Chaz Lanier, President of the NAACP Detroit Branch Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, DPSCD Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti, Bankole Thompson, and James White, President and CEO of Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN). The Summit Series event is presented in partnership with the WCCCD Institute for Social Progress, the NAACP Detroit Branch, and DWIHN.

To register, please call 313-496-2510 or visit https://DetroitUrbanSummit.org.  

About Wayne County Community College District
WCCCD, one of the largest urban-suburban community colleges in Michigan, is a multi-campus district with six campus locations and educational centers, including the Mary Ellen Stempfle University Center, the Heinz C. Prechter Educational and Performing Arts Center, the Michigan Institute for Public Safety Education (MIPSE), the Curtis L. Ivery Health and Wellness Education Center and the Outdoor Careers Training Center.  The District serves students across 32 cities and townships, and more than 500 square miles. WCCCD is committed to the continued development of innovative programs, workforce transformation, hosting community-based training sessions, and improving student facilities and services. www.wcccd.edu.