Every year Polk County Family & Community Outreach sponsors and coordinates the Polk County High School Youth Conference. This conference is held at Western Oregon University and is for all high school juniors in rural Polk County. This is an all day event for students to have fun, learn, explore a collage campus, and "Picture their Future" in a way that is positive and healthy.    

The best part of this conference is that YOUTH tell us what they want at this conference. Every junior has the opportunity to weigh in on what swag is at the event, what education/career tracks are provided, what music is played, and who the keynote speaker is. This conference is all about them!

In 2025: 

• 9 different high schools in Polk County attended

• Estimated 400 students participated & explored careers they are passionate about

• Over 35 speakers from 11 different careers spoke 

• Three schools took a campus tour of Western Oregon University

What was your favorite part about the conference (from a students perspective)?

• All of the speakers for culinary really showed me how the culinary world looks like, especially if starting your own culinary business.

• The speakers in counseling were really good and answered questions well

• I liked that there was hand-on experinces. It really shows me how it is to do stuff they do in te industry.

• It helped me to identify individual careers within the criminal justice system such as forensics, fbi, etc.

• I learned what the WOU nursing simulation lab looks like, and how to apply which will be beneficial when I decide on where to go to college. I also learned some great things from the senior nursing students who where there they were AWESOME PEOPLE!!!

• There was a lot of interesting things to learn about and more engaging things to do

• It opens doors to carres you didnt know were interesting.

• It was fun and i had a wonderfull time making cupcakes.

• It was nice to learn about things that aren't talked about in depth, in highschool. It gives us an opportunity to open our minds.