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Conference on National Affairs  (CONA) - June 24 - July 3, 2026 $2,000.00
(Includes airfare, lodging, most meals, and program registration.)

Click here to pay your $300 deposit and any subsequent payments.

Click here to watch the CONA Q&A Slide Deck. 

Click here to watch the recording of the CONA Info Zoom Meeting.

The Conference on National Affairs (CONA) offers unparalleled opportunities to problem-solve on a national or global scale with peers from across the United States.  To prepare for CONA, some 750 students across dozens of statewide delegations will identify a problem of National or International concern and research it extensively. They organize this information into a documented proposal, prepare persuasive speeches, and rigorously refine, edit and improve both. At CONA, students then engage in intensive discussion, debating and ranking these proposals with understanding young people from other states. In addition, the Oregon delegation can bring one media delegate who will join a select team of media delegates from across the country to gain media skills and present a nightly news broadcast, participate in podcasts, and more.

Young people who have participated in the YMCA Youth Conference on National Affairs are unanimous in their belief that this experience makes a vital contribution in helping young citizens to learn more about the democratic form of Government, and themselves.

While the conference and all the required work in preparation are not to be underestimated, its also a great deal of fun. From belly flop contests to Smokey mountain sunrises, CONA has a unique life-changing quality that almost needs to be seen to be believed.

Typically, the Oregon Delegation will travel with the Washington Delegation as the Cascadia Delegation for a Pre-CONA experience of fun and preparation, before heading to the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly conference location.  Air fare has been arranged by the YMCA and American Airlines Group Travel and is included in the event fee. Additional details will be provided as they become available.

A position on the Oregon Delegation to CONA is highly-coveted. Therefore, Pre-CONA information sessions, proposal writing, and preparation workshops will be held via zoom and attendance is required. 

To make this selective delegation, students will need to demonstrably display the Y Core values, demonstrate a commitment to a close-knit delegation and its considerable requirements, and propose a creative, unique, or thoughtful solution to a problem of sincere, national or global import.

Partial financial assistance is available for all participants with demonstrated financial need, although all Pre-CONA entertainment and meal expenses must be paid for by the participant. For more information, contact Tayler Howard at tayler.howard@oregonstate.edu