URGENT, Inc. Presents Youth Economic Development Conference and Miami 4 Social Change Youth Film Festival

URGENT, Inc will present the sixth annual Youth Economic Development Conference (YEDC) virtually through ZOOM July 23-24, from 11:00 AM-3:00 PM. Immediately following YEDC, URGENT's Miami 4 Social Change Youth Film Festival will air on YouTube Live! Saturday, July 25, from 11:00 AM-8:30 PM. Both events are designed to reach summer interns between the ages of 14-21 with interest in exploring creative careers and entrepreneurship. These showcase events are sponsored by Adobe, TakingItGlobal, The Miami Foundation, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Miami Dade County Commissioner Audrey Edmonson, Code Fever, and The Children's Trust.

"This summer URGENT, Inc. has provided me the opportunity to bring my creative vision to life and present it to a wide audience during the youth film festival. Its honestly been a blessing to experience an internship with other young filmmakers who are as passionate as I am," says URGENT's 2020 Intern of the Year, Leonce Luma.

Highlights of the 3-day experience include keynotes from award-winning entrepreneur Felecia Hatcher Co-founder of Code Fever and actor Jalyn Emil Hall, who portrays Dillon James starring role on CW's All American. Industry experts will conduct sessions on careers in Creative Design, Travel & Tourism, Business, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Film, Radio, and Media. On day 2, youth will compete for prizes in the Business Pitch competition and engage in a Teen Talk Show co-hosted by radio personality Jill Tracy of Hot 105FM.

The Miami 4 Social Change Youth Film Festival will offer a full Saturday of movie screenings, masterclasses, industry panel discussion, and an awards ceremony. Culminating the film festival will be a screening of "BeforeYouShoot," a documentary by M. Denise Simmons aimed to humanize the lives of Black Men in America.

"The pivot to a virtual event is a sign of the times," notes CEO Saliha Nelson. "This opportunity amplifies our commitment to elevating youth voice, creating a grander stage to make youth talent visible outside of their local communities and showcases how we not only essentialize youth contribution to their learning but also create authentic learning experiences that mirror the real-world."

For workshop registration information, go to www.urgentinc.org/yedc and www.urgentinc.org/youth-film-festival. To watch the film festival screenings live, subscribe to URGENT's YouTube channel at www.urgentinc.org/youth-film-festival.

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