YES Teens in Washington in March 2020

05 Mar 2020 - 08 Mar 2020 | 07:00 pm - 01:00 pm

Government Abuses of Power
Thursday, March 5, 7pm to Sunday, March 8, 1pm
National 4-H Conference Center

7100 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 — located 10 minutes from Washington Ethical Society. (Thursday overnight stay at the Washington Ethical Society, 7750 16th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20012, with group site-seeing on Friday morning and afternoon.)

REGISTER ONLINE HERE

OR complete 2020 YES Registration Paper Packet and send to L Miller.

The Youth of Ethical Societies (YES) Conference is our annual teen conference for those in 9th-12th grades (ages 14-18). It’s a pivotal experience for many teens as they spend a weekend diving into issues critical to their own big-picture interests (like gender, human rights, money, race…) and also getting to know teens from other Societies. There are opportunities to lead and be led, to express individual experiences and listen to other perspectives, and to return to the magic of YES every year as we all continue to grow and connect.

Every participating teen must be under the supervision of a designated adult chaperone who is responsible for not more than 6 other teens. If an interested teen does not know an adult who is able to come, arrangements can often be made between Societies. Trish Cowan and the AEU are happy to assist.

The 2020 YES Conference will be in Washington, DC and include breakout sessions on money, women’s bodies, colonization, and government-run camps. Registration is $250 per attendee (includes room, board, and conference registration), with scholarships available. For questions or concerns, contact Trish Cowan, YES National Advisor, (trishhotze@sbcglobal.net or 314-680-3348) or Law’nence “L” Miller, AEU Director of Adminstration (lmiller@aeu.org or 221-873-6500).

  • Pre-Conference: Washington Ethical Society / City
    Thursday, March 5 (after 7 pm) Activities and lock-in at the Washington Ethical Society.
    Friday, March 6 (morning/early afternoon) Tour portion of Washington, D.C. After touring in the city, participants will go to the 4-H Conference Center.

    Conference: 4-H Conference Center
    Friday, March 6
    4:00 pm Arrive at Center. Bring in bags, settle into rooms.
    6:00 pm Dinner in the Dining Hall
    7:00 pm Opening activities, speaker, activities and programming
    Free time until lights out at TBD.

    Saturday, March 7
    8:00 am Breakfast in the Dining Hall
    8:45 am Officers’ and Reps’ Meeting
    9:15 am Conference Activities – small/large group discussions, games
    12:00 pm Lunch in the Dining Hall
    1:15 pm Afternoon activities (skits, discussions, FES presentation and t-shirt designs)
    4:15 pm Organized activities / free time
    6:00 pm Dinner in the Dining Hall
    7:00 pm Group Meeting, Elections & Warm Fuzzies
    10:00 pm Free time until lights out at TBD

    Sunday, March 8
    8:00 am Breakfast in Dining Hall
    9:15 am Clean up, pack up
    10:15 am Closing Ceremony & Evaluations
    11:00 am Group time, pictures, farewells
    12:00 pm Lunch
    1:00 pm Leave 4-H Center

  • How do I get there? Each individual/group is responsible for their own travel to/from DC. For group travel, please consult with your Society’s Director of Ethical Education, your youth group advisor or Trish Cowan. If you are flying, it is advised that you make flight reservations to arrive in DC after 7 pm on Thursday and leave after 4:30 pm on Sunday.

    Can I arrive in DC late on Thursday or on Friday? Absolutely! If you need to arrive late on Thursday or on Friday, please get in touch with Trish so we can figure out timing and assistance.

    What should I bring?

    • Sleeping bag
    • Small pillow/pillow case
    • Soap, shampoo
    • Toothbrush, toothpaste
    • Long pants
    • Sweatshirt
    • Rain gear
    • Warm shoes, jacket, gloves and hat
    • Plastic bag for packing damp items
    • Money for travel and Friday site-seeing
    • Pajamas you’re comfortable being seen in
    • Optional: snacks, music player, journal, musical instrument, poetry, games, ear plugs



    Why do I need to bring a sleeping bag? Sleeping bags will be used Thursday night; we will be sleeping on the floor of the Washington Ethical Society.

    Are linens provided at the 4-H Center? Yes! Bedding and linens are provided at the 4-H Center (Friday-Sunday).

    Are scholarships available? Thanks to a very generous donation to the AEU, small scholarships are available to teens in need. For questions about financial assistance, please contact L Miller (lmiller@aeu.org or 221-873-6500) at the AEU or Trish Cowan (trishhotze@sbcglobal.net or 314-680-3348).

    What will we be talking about? Attendees will be given key background information, stats and definitions; no prior expertise about government abuses of power is required or expected. Sub-topics in discussion groups will include internment camps and detention centers, colonization, control of women’s bodies, money in politics, and what we can do as citizens to improve these situations. We are planning to have a guest speaker, as well.

    What will the sleeping arrangements be? Thursday night will be a lock-in at the Washington Ethical Society; attendees will sleep on the floor in sleeping bags. Shared sleeping bags will not be permitted. Each sleeping room at the conference center will have two sets of bunk beds and a full, private bathroom. Each bed will have sheets, blanket, and pillow/pillowcase. We anticipate having 4 people in each room. Rooms will be: teen female, teen male, teen gender-inclusive, adult female and adult male. Shared beds will not be permitted.

    What happens if I register after the deadline? We cannot guarantee that late registrants will be able to be accepted or t-shirt orders fulfilled. We encourage adhering to the deadline or letting Trish know if you will be attending but registering late.