The Merrill-Palmer Institute at Wayne State University is seeking volunteers to help with its 22nd annual Metropolitan Detroit Teen Conference, which will be held on Thursday, Nov. 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. The conference will host 300 ninth and 10^th graders from more than 50 schools and organizations in metro Detroit.

            The purpose of the conference is to bring metro Detroit teenagers together from diverse backgrounds to spend the day discovering what they have in common. The diversity is not limited to race, but also includes economic background, inner-city, suburban and those from public and private schools.  The students will be placed in small groups of six to eight people for topical discussions. 

           That is where the volunteers come into play. As facilitators, they initiate and monitor the discussions among the students. Those interested need to attend a special training orientation Tuesday, Oct. 18 from 8 a.m. to noon at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center on the campus of Wayne State University. The workshop is free.

          There also will be an optional luncheon following the training for $16.  Faye Alexander Nelson, president and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, will be the luncheon keynote speaker. 

          The deadline to register for the workshop and luncheon is Oct. 10, 2005. For information on becoming a facilitator call (313) 872-1790 or e-mail tshiemke@wayne.edu. 

            Founded by the late Mary-Agnes Davis, the Metro Teen conference is designed to help teenagers understand that they make choices in life and provide teens from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to share, learn and understand different points of view.