The conference is organized through a planning session that involves teamwork and leadership skills. During this session, teen volunteers work together brainstorming problems they feel impede the success of their peers. They select from among the list of problems the 3 that they consider the most serious. From this experience, workshop topics, a theme, and a t-shirt logo are created. On the fourth Saturday in September, the conference is held at the Technical College of the Lowcountry. Included in the conference are workshops, lunch, t-shirts and entertainment, all free for the participants. Carae’s Lowcountry Modeling, a 501(c)(3) organization that began in 1985 to help build self-esteem, is the umbrella for the Beaufort County Youth Conference. The conference began in 1992 as a means to help decrease the rise in teen pregnancy rate. As a response to God’s prompting, a workshop was planned and conducted to teach females and males to abstain from early sexual activity. The idea was shared with Scott Gibbs, Belle White and Wade Bishop.
