Prince George, B.C. – A local youth led initiative means an evening of free music tonight at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.

The third annual Sound of Summer Outdoor Concert will run from 6-10pm and feature a mixture of folk and rock acts.

The event’s been spearheaded by 18 year old Yalda Safaei through the Prince George Community Foundation’s (PGCF) Youth in Philanthropy program.

She notes it’s the continuation of the type of work she’s been doing the past three summers.

“In 2013 when I first started the event it was after going to an outdoor youth leadership camp down in Squamish and so it was there I learned a lot of leadership tips and it was all outdoor orientated,” she says. “So they really encouraged youth to get outside and become outdoor leaders and so I decided to do a concert.”

And after running last year’s concert on her own, she teamed up with the PGCF for this year’s show.

“It occurred to me my event was exactly what they were working on – youth led and encouraging youth to get involved in their community.”

PGCF executive director Brenda Langlois agrees. “It’s all about teaching them that you need to give back to the community,” she says. “To teach them it’s time to see what the need is in the community and how you can address those needs.”

If you would like to check out tonight’s concert, click here for more details.