CONFERENCE MISSION
The conference trains adults who serve youth to create safe, healthy, caring,
and intellectually empowering educational environments that foster the well-being
of all children and adolescents. To accomplish this mission, it offers over
100 presentations by nationally and internationally recognized presenters to
over 1000 conference participants from across the United States. In these presentations,
participants learn about current research-based educational programs and strategies,
which empower young people to overcome at-risk conditions that may threaten
their safety, health, emotional needs, or academic achievement. Participants
also gain knowledge of proactive solutions and best practices for meeting the
serious challenges faced by many of our youth today such as school violence,
poverty, learning difficulties, underachievement, achievement gaps, illiteracy,
boredom, apathy, low expectations, misbehavior, dropout, drugs, bullying, gangs,
teen pregnancy, sexual harassment, racism, and dysfunctional families. Furthermore,
participants gain effective educational tools to build strong caring schools,
communities, and families, which can meet the diverse needs of all our young
people. Illustrative of the conference mission, the conference logo--consisting
of three overlapping circles--represents the well-trained collaborative efforts
of schools, families, and communities in fostering the well-being of our youth.
