The Georgetown Public Policy Institute (GPPI) is a community of scholars, students, and policy practitioners committed to identifying pressing policy problems and recommending effective solutions. The Georgetown Public Policy Institute LEAD Conference (Leadership. Evidence. Analysis. Debate.) is a forum to discuss a domestic or international policy issue requiring our nation’s attention. The goal of the LEAD Conference is to bring together key stakeholders, researchers and students to examine a particular policy challenge and foster dialogue on potential solutions.

Through this annual event, GPPI will highlight a particular area of research of its faculty and research centers. Our inaugural conference, Positive Outcomes for At-Risk Children and Youth: Improving Lives Through Practice and System Reform, will focus on promoting effective solutions to the problems facing our nation’s most vulnerable young people, featuring the work of the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR).

Please see below for more information about GPPI and CJJR.

Topics

This inspirational two-day conference will focus on improving outcomes for at-risk children and youth. Specifically, the event will present policies and practices that can be brought together in a comprehensive way to support the healthy development of this vulnerable population. The conference will discuss this issue from local, state, and national standpoints and will highlight various subject areas, such as education, employment and job training, physical and behavioral health, social development, child welfare, and juvenile justice. The conference will emphasize the value of early intervention, while also underscoring that it is never too late to help a child or family. Further, the panels and presentations will stress the importance of engaging a youth’s family for interventions to be most effective. Several sessions will also be offered on policy, leadership, management, and messaging to support systemic change that is needed to institutionalize best practices – both from the top-down and bottom up. The centrality of data in driving such reform will be a common theme throughout the conference, as will the need for collaboration among child-serving organizations.

The conference will encourage attendees to consider the following questions:

• What do children and youth need to develop into healthy, happy, and productive individuals?
• When children and youth are abused, drop out of school, commit a crime, or suffer from mental and behavioral health problems, what interventions can help them get back on the path towards positive life outcomes?
• What are the necessary systemic changes that can help improve outcomes for at-risk children and youth?

Structure

The two-day conference will include a mix of plenary and breakout sessions as well as networking activities for registered guests and speakers. Opening and closing keynote addresses will frame the conference, and breakout panels on both days will allow participants to focus on issues most relevant to them. Please visit the agenda page for the full schedule of events.

Who Should Attend?

The event is geared towards those working on youth issues at the national, state, and local levels and will cover a range of strategies for healthy development. We expect a diverse audience ranging from policymakers to practitioners, researchers to foundation representatives, students, teachers, community leaders, and more. Anyone interested in improving outcomes for at-risk children and youth will benefit from attending this conference. Proof of participation will be made available to those attendees wishing to apply for continuing education credit with their state or licensing entity.