2026 Southern Youth Defender Center Regional Summit

We invite you to come together with your colleagues from across the Southern states to participate in this one-of-a-kind program.

Due to sweeping funding cuts across most governmental agencies and organizations, including our own National Gault Center, this year's summit will include a nominal registration fee to help offset the costs of hosting this incredibly valuable event. The advisory committee remains committed to being mindful that many participants come out of pocket to attend the regional summit; please read below for waiver of registration fees, and for those who are able to support this work financially, a link to donate to scholarship funds to support all defenders in having an opportunity to come together.

Lodging Information: A block of rooms will be reserved at The Courtyard by Marriott Atlanta Decatur Downtown/Emory at a special group rate of $179.00 per night for Thursday, June 4th, and Friday, June 5th. The rooms are also available at this rate for Saturday, June 6th for those wishing to stay Saturday night. Attendees can reserve a room online at the link below or at the Courtyard by Marriott website using the Group Code ESYESYB.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK AT OUR GROUP RATE

Attendees are encouraged to book their hotel rooms as soon as possible as we anticipate filling the available room block quickly. Our block will only be held until May 8*, but the block may be filled before then. (*The hotel block rate ends before registration for summit closes!)

Please be aware that the Courtyard by Marriott is a little over 2 miles from Emory University School of Law where the summit sessions will be held. On Friday, the University has a free shuttle bus servicing the hotel, which all attendees may wish to take advantage of to avoid parking costs on campus. On Saturday, it is free to park on campus, though the University shuttle does not run. We encourage attendees to carpool on Saturday. We are also working on a group shuttle option that may be available on Friday and Saturday.

Meals: Breakfast will be provided Friday and Saturday. Lunch will be provided during the summit on Friday, and a reception will be held Friday evening. *No DOJ funds will be used for food or beverage.

Please register for the Summit by Friday, May 22, 2026.

The registration fee is $35.00. The registration fee remains refundable until May 22, 2026 (minus any processing fees). It becomes non-refundable after May 22, 2026.

If you would like to attend the summit but the registration is cost-prohibitive, we will consider requests for waivers of the registration fee. The registration waiver may be combined with a scholarship request/award if appropriate for your circumstances. Waivers will be awarded on a first come, first served basis at the discretion of the advisory committee and based upon overall funding availability. To inquire about waiver of the registration fee, please send an email to Burcu Hensley ([email protected]) AND include Hector Linares ([email protected]) as a CC on the email.

Registration Waiver Inquiry Deadline: May 15th, 2026 at 5:00 pm EST.

Scholarship Information: Contingent upon available funding, partial scholarship assistance may be available to subsidize the costs of lodging. Scholarships will be awarded on a first come, first served basis, with details to be announced at a later date. Please note that due to significantly reduced federal funding this year, SYDC may not be able to offer as many or as much in scholarships as it has in the past. Scholarship recipients should still make their own hotel registrations as any available scholarships will come in the form of partial reimbursement. To inquire about a scholarship, please send an email to Burcu Hensley ([email protected]) AND include Hector Linares ([email protected]) as a CC on the email. You may combine this email with the registration fee waiver request.

Scholarship Inquiry Deadline: May 1st, 2026 at 5:00 pm EST.

CLE Credits

CLE credit applications are being submitted for each state in the region. The number and type of CLE credits awarded may vary by state.

Donations: SYDC depends on fundraising and private donations to keep the regional summit accessible to participants. If you wish to support the regional summit you can make a donation at https://secure.givelively.org/donate/national-juvenile-defender-center/gault-center-southern-region-regional-summit

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