The YMCA Youth Conference on National Affairs was started in 1968 as a follow-up to the outstanding state Youth & Government programs conducted by the YMCA throughout the US.

This program offers unusual opportunities for a young person to do research in the area of National and International concern; to organize this information into a proposal; to engage in intensive discussion and to debate these proposals with understanding young people from other states (similar to Michigan's NIF program).

The objectives of the program are:

• To gain awareness of National concerns and issues.
• To increase understanding of Federal Government and its relations to State, National and International matters.
• To have and use a means for communicating concerns about National Affairs to appropriate persons and groups at Federal Government levels.
• To develop increased understanding of needs, responsibilities and opportunities.
• To work creatively together with young adults and adults.
• To help youth and adults better understand and strengthen their values for living through Christian objectives of the YMCA.

The Michigan delegation will attend a pre-trip, then travel on to the conference. This year's pre-trip is to be announced. The conference itself is held at Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina; located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Students are selected during the high school spring conference and extended an invitation to attend. This will be announced at the end of spring conference.  Interested students should talk to their advisor and request that they recommend them on the high school conference awards recommendation form.