Local painter, Julie Smiley, leads high school seniors through a journaling exercise using watercolors at Friday's youth summit. | Photo: Jessica C. Andrews

Del Norte's first-ever youth summit gave high school seniors access to a plethora of resources Friday, focusing on their transition into adulthood.

Organized by Del Norte Unified School District, Resilient Del Norte and Adjacent Tribal Lands and Coastal Connections, the summit linked students with Soroptimist International and allowed them to journal about their sources of strength and relationship using watercolors.

Champions for Change and Redwood Voice youth journalism also made an appearance.

The youth summit will continue at 5 p.m. for those who are 18-24 years old, said Terrin Musbach, of Del Norte Unified School District.

Musbach said she, Bessy Shorty of the Yurok Tribe, suicide prevention activist Gordon Clay and Alex Garcia, of Coastal Connections, organized the summit. Musbach said she plans to run three a year for the next two years for sixth, eighth and 12th-graders.

"We're focusing on supporting transition," she said, adding that she hopes the community will help the summit continue beyond two years.

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