Black & African American
Youth Programs
Black Youth Summer Institute
Overnight Camp
In partnership with the Black Southern Oregon Alliance, the Black Youth Summer Institute (BYSI) is a week-long summer camp exploring a broad range of classes, lectures, cultural experiences and recreational activities in a university setting for students completing grades 6-12.
Selected students will interact with other students living throughout Oregon who identify as a community member of the African diaspora, a worldwide collection of communities descended from native Africans. Additionally, the BYSI campers will also spend time with Black and African American leaders and instructors during classes, presentations, and recreational activities to learn and explore topics of culture and heritage.
In collaboration with the Southern Oregon Black and African American Student Success Grant Team, Youth Programs is proud to be able to cover the costs of the program. Therefore, accepted campers will have their entire camp tuition fully waived!
To learn more about the Black Youth Summer Institute partnership work, visit the Black Southern Oregon Alliance and their annual leadership conference, Black Youth Leadership Summit.
Camp Schedule & Information
Camp Schedule and Information
The Black Youth Summer Institute is held on the Southern Oregon University campus. The 2027 program dates will be available in Fall 2026.
Applying as a New Student
The online Black Youth Summer Institute application will be available starting in early January.
If you are applying as a new student to the overnight camp, follow the steps below:
- Start your application by visiting the SOU Youth Programs application portal Ideal-Logic.
- You will be prompted to create an account. Please use your personal email address, and not your school email.
- Select the Black Youth Summer Institute program on the menu page and progress through the application.
If you have questions or need assistance with these steps, please contact our office at youthprograms@sou.edu.
Applying as a Returning Student
The online Black Youth Summer Institute application will be available in early January.
If you have previously applied for the overnight program, follow the steps below:
- Return to your account by visiting the SOU Youth Programs application portal Ideal-Logic.
- When you return to the system, press the Account Login button and enter in your login credentials.
- If you have forgotten your login credentials, press Account Login then Forgot Your Password.
- You will be contacted to reset your password and log into the portal.
- On the portal, find the Black Youth Summer Institute application and click into the application.
If you have questions or need assistance with these steps, please contact our office at youthprograms@sou.edu.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation Policy
Leaving an overnight camp program is discouraged. It is important that students make a commitment to fully participate. Schedule outside appointments, music lessons, athletic practices, and tryouts for times outside of the week of camp.
After a student is accepted to the program, the activity fee will not be refunded, nor will account credits be issued. Additionally, students who no-show, or withdraw from camp will not receive a refund or account credit.
Letter of Recommendation
The camp letter of recommendation can be accessed via the PDF here.
Counselors, Head Residents, and Course Instructors
This camp would not be possible without the support of our counselors and program staff. We encourage individuals to apply to our open positions:
- Senior Counselors: current college students, paid position
- Head Residents: directors of camp, paid position
- Instructors: classroom teachers; paid position
