2027 Midwest Winter Youth Conference

Please register asap so that we can plan accordingly

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Please register asap so that we can plan accordingly 〰️

Join Us for an Unforgettable Winter Youth Conference!

Each winter, we gather for a long weekend in Wisconsin centered around community, conversation, good food, music, games, and time away from the usual pace of everyday life.

The Youth Conference is for teens and young adults looking for a chance to reconnect with old friends, meet new people, and spend a few meaningful days together in the middle of winter.

It is also a wonderful entry point for newcomers. Because the weekend is shorter, smaller, and a little easier to step into than a full summer camp session, it can be a great opportunity to bring a classmate, neighbor, cousin, sibling, or friend who has never joined us before. They get a chance to experience the spirit of the community, meet people, and get a feel for what makes our gatherings special without the larger commitment of summer camp.

We return each year to a retreat cabin in Richland Center, Wisconsin, where a small group gathers to cook and eat together, sing, play games, spend time outdoors, and take part in conversations built around a central theme for the weekend.

The theme gives us a place to begin, but the conference is shaped just as much by the people who come. There is room for serious conversation, laughter, late-night talks, quiet moments, and the kind of unexpected connections that tend to happen when a group steps away from normal routines for a few days.

If there is a question, topic, or theme you would love to explore at a future conference, we would be glad to hear your ideas.

Details below

Why This Weekend Matters

Winter can feel like a long stretch between summers.

By the time the conference arrives, the holidays are behind us, school and work have picked back up, and the rhythms of everyday life can start to feel pretty full again. The weekend offers a chance to step outside of that for a little while.

For many of us, the friendships and experiences that begin at camp do not end when summer does. They continue to shape us throughout the year. The Youth Conference is one way of keeping that community alive, creating space to reconnect, reflect, and make something new together.

It is not quite camp, and it is not meant to be. It has its own rhythm and character: smaller, quieter, more conversational, and shaped by where we are in the year and in our lives.

And when the weekend comes to an end, there is one especially welcome realization:

Summer is now closer than it is far away.

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
— Albert Camus

Group of people sitting on couches and chairs in a cozy living room with large windows, wooden ceiling, and a cowhide rug, engaging in a group discussion.

The Details

When: Friday, January 15, 5 PM — Monday, January 18, 11 AM

Where: Richland Center, WI

Who: Teens/young adults

Registration: $400

Scroll down to view some images from past year’s conference and the cabin.

REGISTER

“Perhaps the secret of living well is not in having all the answers but in pursuing unanswerable questions in good company.”

— Rachel Naomi Remen

Our Conference

  • Group of five teenage girls sitting on a brown leather couch in a cozy living room, engaging in a casual conversation.
  • Two people preparing food in a cozy kitchen, with a young person cooking at the stove and an older person loading the dishwasher, decorated with holiday greenery on the counter.
  • Family in a cozy living room decorated for Christmas with a large decorated Christmas tree, stone fireplace, and Christmas ornaments, children and a woman are sitting and playing.
  • A stainless steel stove with four burners, three of which are lit. On top of the stove, two pans are cooking rice. The oven door is open, revealing bacon on a tray, chicken wings on another tray, and foil-lined baking sheets. There is a person's arm in a gray sleeve reaching towards the pan on the right.
  • Three people standing on a snowy trail in a winter landscape, wearing winter jackets and hats, with trees and a blue sky in the background.
  • A woman in a blue jacket holding a snow shovel, standing under an archway decorated with green garland and snow, in a snowy suburban neighborhood.
  • An aerial view of a living room with wooden floors and a wooden ceiling. There is a brown leather sectional sofa with pink and gray pillows, a black piano with a child playing, large triangular windows, and a round wall clock. The room is illuminated by natural sunlight.
  • Children gathered around a table with a large pile of breakfast pastries and syrup, in a cozy home decorated for Christmas with a Christmas tree and holiday decorations.
  • A group of people gathered in a cozy living room with large windows showing snow outside, sitting on sofas and on the floor, with a person standing and speaking to them. The room has a wooden ceiling, warm lighting, and decorative items.
  • Six young women sitting on the floor in a circle inside a home with a decorated Christmas tree nearby, during daytime.
  • A group of five children dressed warmly in winter clothing, standing outdoors in a snowy landscape with trees in the background under a clear blue sky.
  • A person dressed warmly in winter clothing, including a black jacket, red scarf, and brown beanie, standing in a snowy landscape with snow-covered trees and a steaming outdoor heater in the background.
  • A person playing in the snow at sunset, kicking up snow with one leg raised and holding a metal pot.
  • A young girl standing indoors in front of a wall, smiling, with her legs apart and hands at her sides. She is wearing a patterned jacket with bears and leaves, light-colored pants, and a yellow striped shirt underneath, in a cozy home setting.
  • A group of people singing together in a cozy, warmly lit room with wooden walls and ceiling, large windows, and a cowhide rug on the floor.
  • Two young girls sitting on a brown leather couch inside a room, wearing knit hats and casual clothes, with a window showing trees outside in winter.
  • A group of six young people inside a cozy kitchen, some wearing plaid shirts and jackets, engaged in conversation and preparing food or dishes around the stove and cabinets.
  • Two boys standing face to face in a dining room. One boy is wearing a black beanie and a brown plaid jacket, while the other boy is in a blue striped T-shirt. They appear to be having a serious conversation.
  • Nighttime view of a house with lit windows, several parked cars outside, and trees in front, with a dark sky and stars overhead.
  • Two children engaged in a craft activity, painting cylindrical paper lanterns with colorful designs, seated at a wooden table with a wood-paneled wall in the background.
  • Group of people sitting at a wooden table inside a rustic cabin, decorating holiday-themed items with Christmas decorations on the wall.
  • Two people hugging in a cozy home, smiling, in a living room with warm lighting and decorative wall art.
  • A young girl sitting on a rug holding a large cardboard bracket for a ping pong tournament, with other people sitting nearby in a cozy living room.
  • A group of people gathered in a cozy living room with a high, wooden, vaulted ceiling, large windows showing snow outside, and warm yellow lighting. Some individuals are sitting on sofas, while others are sitting on the floor or standing, appearing engaged in conversation or listening.
  • A group of seven young people sitting on the floor and couch in a living room with large windows, sunlight, wooden walls, and a cowhide rug.

The Cabin

  • Interior of a living room decorated for Christmas with a tall Christmas tree adorned with lights and ornaments, a stone fireplace with stockings hanging, and wooden furniture, including a unique coffee table and a staircase leading upstairs.
  • Living room with wooden walls, a Christmas tree, pool table, sofa, fireplace with stockings, and bar area, decorated for Christmas.
  • Spacious attic bedroom with sloped wooden ceiling, two beds with checkered blankets, a window, a telescope on a tripod, ceiling fan, and built-in wooden shelves.
  • A rustic bathroom with wooden walls, a large mirror, black sink basin, and warm lighting from wall-mounted lamps, with towels visible in the reflection.
  • A wooden sauna room with horizontal wood paneling, illuminated by built-in yellow lighting, featuring a bucket and ladle, seating benches, and a heater in the corner.
  • Nighttime view of a well-lit backyard patio with string lights hanging below a wooden deck, outdoor furniture including a table and chairs, a hot tub, and walls with outdoor wall lamps.
  • Snow-covered tree with an old-fashioned horse-drawn carriage parked beneath it.
  • Cozy living room with wood-paneled vaulted ceiling, fireplace with stone surround, Christmas tree, leather sectional sofa, wall-mounted TV displaying a fire, piano, and staircase leading upstairs.
  • A snow-covered driveway leading to a house with lights on, parked cars, and trees surrounding the property at night.
  • Kitchen with wooden cabinets, a countertop, a breakfast bar with three stools, two windows bringing in natural light, and various appliances on the counter.
  • Snow-covered parking lot with a tree in the center, surrounded by two cars, one white and one dark, with snow on their roofs, against a clear blue sky.
  • Snow-covered house with beige siding, stone accents around the garage, large triangular window, and snow-covered car in the driveway.