On November 9, 2006, approximately 40 high school juniors and seniors from around Berks County, as well as several college students, gathered at the recently-renovated GoggleWorks building in downtown Reading to hear speakers Todd Vonderheid from RenewPA, Amy Liu from the Brookings Institution, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Hylton discuss governance and civic issues, the state's demographic trends, and issues surrounding Pennsylvania's need for competitiveness.  Sponsored by the Berks County Community Foundation, students were asked to provide feedback about what they liked about their community and to offer insight into areas in need of improvement.

 

Read the article in the Reading Eagle here.

 

Read an editorial published in the Reading Eagle here.

 

Read an essay about the Berks County Youth Summit here.

 

 

The GoggleWorks, located in downtown Reading, a rehabilitated safety goggle factory, is now home to offices, a museum, a theater, dance studios, and other community assets.	Todd Vonderheid (center) discusses topics like economic development, governance reform, housing options, and community safety with a group of Berks County students.
David Thun (left), 2006 winner of the Thun Award for a lifetime of community service, used the award to sponsor the Berks County Youth Summit.