The Positive Youth Development Institute (PYDI) recently held their annual professional development conference entitled “Making Summer Count” in Augusta, and new this year was an inaugural Youth Development Advocate award. Spurwink’s own Susan Savell was the first to receive this award as a tribute to her leadership and years of service to the children and youth of Maine.
Tim Duffey, conference organizer acknowledged that Savell, “was given the award in recognition of her outstanding work providing leadership that supports and advances effecting positive youth development practice.” Before coming to Spurwink eight years ago as the Director of the Spurwink Center for Positive Youth Development and Co-Director, of i3 BARR Validation Project (a program aimed to develop and expand practices that accelerate student achievement and prepare every student to succeed in college and in their careers), Susan was the Executive Director for Communities for Children and Youth with the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet for the State of Maine for fourteen years.
Congratulations, Susan, for your dedication and advocacy for the children and youth of Maine! Click here to read more about PYDI and its history, going back to the 1980’s.
Pictured L to R: Susan Savell, Erin Frati.