2025 Youth Thriving Summit

Leadership, Connection & Development: Highlighting Outcomes from the 2025 Youth Thriving Summit

The Pittsburgh Study (TPS) remains deeply committed to advancing child thriving through partnerships with schools, organizations, and institutions across the region. A key strategy for this work is the annual Youth Thriving Summit, which offers young people meaningful opportunities to engage, connect, and lead. The Summit is a cornerstone of our broader effort to build shared curriculum and resources that support youth advocacy and regional initiative. With an equity-first approach, TPS aims to amplify youth voices, foster leadership, and connect young people with experiences that build confidence and community impact.

With an equity-first approach, TPS aims to amplify youth voices, foster leadership, and connect young people with experiences that build confidence and community impact. By connecting with other teen leadership initiatives across the region, we are reimagining how youth collaborate and lead— scaffolding brave spaces for young people from urban, suburban, and rural areas to unite, share, and grow. This ongoing effort is cultivating a vibrant network of youth leaders who remain active throughout the year via linked events and programs.

Learn more about this work and opportunities for youth to engage by subscribing to the Youth Newsletter published by the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/j/32C74DEA728311E6

2025 Event Overview & Insights

2025 Participating Schools, Organizations, and Institutions	Gwen’s Girls	Pine Richland School District	University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work
412 Youth Zone	Highlands High School	Pittsburgh JCC	University of Pittsburgh Educational Outreach Center
Allegheny County Health and Human Services	Homewood-Brushton YMCA	Pittsburgh Science & Technology Academy	University of Pittsburgh-Dental Assistant Training
Allegheny Intermediate Unit L.A.U.N.C.H.	JFCS Youth Services	Point Park University	Upper St. Clair High School
Boys & Girls Clubs of Western PA	M-Powerhouse of Greater Pittsburgh	Propel School	U-Prep Milliones
Cafe Momentum Pittsburgh	North Allegheny School District	Sarah Heinz House	Urban Pathways 6-12 Charter School
Casa San Jose	Northgate School	SLB Radio	Westinghouse High School
City Charter High School	Obama School	South Fayette High School	Women For A Healthy Environment
City of Pittsburgh	PA Youth Advocacy Network (Jewish Healthcare Foundation)	Steel Valley School District	Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh
Community College of Allegheny County	Penn Hills High School	The Beacon	Woodland Hills School District
Crisis Center North	Penn West University	The Hear Foundation	Youth Enrichment Services (YES)
Dream Invent Inspire	Persad Center	The Study of Teen Experiences that Promote Success (STEPS)	Youth Support Partner Unit
Environmental Charter School	Phipps Conservatory	University of Pittsburgh, Pediatric Medicine
Global Wordsmiths	Pgh Tech Council	University of Pittsburgh, School of Public Health

In 2025, 245 youth participated. This is a 12% increase in attendance from 2024, and an almost 3-fold increase from 2023, the first year TPS hosted the event.

This year, we doubled the number of schools and groups participating, an almost 4-fold increase in participation compared to the first year the event was held.