While I would dread the thought of reliving my awkward middle school or high school years, I really wouldn't mind being a teen again so I could go to FemCon 2016. The free event invites teens to spend Saturday, May 7, learning about intersectional feminism at the MLK Fame Community Center. "It’s open to people of all genders, in an ADA-compliant building, and several of the panels appear to be explicitly talking about non-binary/trans matters," Seattlish reports.

FemCon 2016 includes workshops discussing the intersections of feminism and the Black Lives Matter movement, addressing white feminism popularized in media, and breaking misconceptions about feminism and Islam, among other topics. Keynote speakers include members from the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Legal Voice.

Seattlish talked about the convention with organizers Greta Zorn and Avery Brown. Here are some highlights from their conversation:

Tell me about FemCon. What is it, and where did the idea come from? ...

AB: This conference is really a dream come true for me because I wasn’t sure it would ever get off the ground! I approached Greta in November of 2015 and said “wouldn’t it be cool if feminists from different schools could get together and chat about social justice issues?” FemCon was born!! We invited feminist club leaders from about 8 other schools, and we’ve been brainstorming, meeting and working for months to create this event.

There aren’t a lot of conferences which directly address the needs of younger people, and even fewer which actively invite young people to participate. What is it about a conference specifically for high schoolers that is so important?

GZ: The most exciting thing about this is that it’s both a conference for teens and by teens. When we start opening up workshops to talk about sensitive topics––rape culture or consent, for example––there gets to be a sense of companionship in that when you look around the room, you’re going to see people at most only a few years older than you. ...

AB: I’ve found that when I go to social activism events, teenagers are addressed as an afterthought. It’s “cute” that they want to be involved, but realistically, they should wait a few years before they decide what they’re passionate about. It infuriates me not to be taken seriously, especially in the arena of social activism where respect is so crucial. Hosting an event that’s specifically for teenagers teaches them that they don’t need to be adults to make change or share their passion.

Read the rest of their interview here. Whether you are a teen or have teenaged kids, don't pass up FemCon 2016. In the meantime, non-teens like myself, while jealous that they cannot attend, will be eagerly waiting to hear teens' takeaways from the event.