Founded in 1980, the Annual Conference of Agencies and Organizations Serving
Promising Youth has been an interagency and multidisciplinary meeting of professionals from education, the juvenile court, human services, juvenile justice, and public/private treatment resources who all support children and youth, underserved and under-resourced, who are experiencing educational, legal, behavioral, and/or mental health challenges.
The goal of the conference has always been to provide cutting-edge training and
networking opportunities for professionals, primarily direct-service providers who work daily with youth.
Promising Youth Conference is funded primarily by registration fees;
staffed by volunteers (the Conference Organizing Committee); and managed under the fiscal umbrella of Shelter Kids, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Conference Organizing Committee keeps the conference registration fee as low as possible to ensure that professionals working with youth will have the opportunity of attending and benefiting from this high-quality training experience.