Black & African American
Youth Programs
Black Youth Leadership Summit
Leadership Conference
Black Youth Leadership Summit
In partnership with Black Southern Oregon Alliance, we encourage students to attend the Black Youth Leadership Summit. The Summit is a dynamic one-day annual conference designed for 6th-12th grade students who identify as Black/African American or wish to learn more about Black identity, culture, strength, and history.
The goal of the Summit is to passionately promote the beauty of Blackness and to provide a crucial space for Black/African American-identified students to caucus and explore the issues impacting their community today. Participants will have a unique opportunity to hear from inspirational Black professionals, students, and allies through engaging presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and keynote speakers from southern Oregon and beyond, focusing on vital topics such as self-care, personal empowerment, and community engagement.
Black Youth Leadership Summit seeks to demonstrate the immense power each student possesses, building themselves into the best person they can be, while highlighting the importance of Black connection through our shared history, experiences, trials, and victories.
2026 Leadership Conference
Black Youth Leadership Summit 2026
Thursday, February 19, 2026
8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Southern Oregon University
Ashland, OR
No cost to participate
This year’s theme “Start Where You Are, Use What You Have, Do What You Can,” is drawn from the wisdom of the late Civil Rights Activist and the first African American to be crowned Wimbledon Champion. Arthur Ashe calls on youth and adults alike to recognize their potential, take action where they are, and strive for excellence with the resources they have.
Conference Logistics
Conference Logistics
Registration
We encourage pre-registration in order to reserve the t-shirt and swag for this event. We will welcome students who have not pre-registered, but we cannot guarantee we will have the correct t-shirt size available.
Check-In
Each student will check-In (by last name) at the registration tables. Chaperones will also check in at this location. Chaperones also will be required to wear their conference name badge.
Group Assignments
All students will be assigned a group number. These groups will be led by SOU Ambassadors at the end of the welcome session. They will lead their student groups throughout the day and to each of the assigned sessions.
Luncheon
All conference participants will be provided lunch. Chaperones should help monitor the dining space.
Evaluations
The students will be filling out conference evaluations at the end of their last session. If you are planning to leave early, please still fill out the evaluation form for the sessions you attended. You may return these to your group leader or any SOU staff member
Black Youth Leadership Summit is supported by the Southern Oregon Education Service District (SOESD) and other donors.
