Retired Judge Charles F. Pratt and Judge Andrew Williams are pleased to announce that the 37th Annual Conference on Youth, Families and Communities will be held October 1, 2026.
News release from the Youth, Families, Communities
Renowned Child Psychiatrist and Author Dr. Bruce Perry to Keynote 37th Annual Conference on Youth, Families and Communities
Fort Wayne, Indiana (September 14, 2026) — Retired Judge Charles F. Pratt and Judge Andrew Williams are pleased to announce that the 37th Annual Conference on Youth, Families and Communities will be held Thursday, October 1, 2026, at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, 4000 Parnell Ave., Fort Wayne, Indiana. This year’s conference will feature keynote speaker Dr. Bruce D. Perry, an internationally recognized child psychiatrist, neuroscientist and bestselling author.
Since 1990, the Annual Conference on Youth, Families and Communities has brought together educators, youth workers, social service professionals, first responders and community leaders from across the region for a full day of training grounded in positive youth development and the importance it holds within the greater context of beneficial outcomes for all in our community. The conference has grown from a single training held on the campus of what was then Indiana Purdue University, Fort Wayne, into one of the region’s largest gatherings dedicated to youth and family services, drawing more than 1,000 participants each year.
The conference is a signature initiative of Great KIDS make Great COMMUNITIES, which traces its roots to 1999 as a project of the Allen Superior Court, Family Relations Division, under the direction of Judge Charles F. Pratt, who presided over the Family Relations Division of Allen Superior Court for many years. Since then, Great KIDS has also begun administering the Indiana Mental Health Summit, a project of the mental health court, headed by Judge Andrew Williams. Great KIDS is dedicated to educating and connecting those who work with and on behalf of youth, families and communities, offering training at free or reduced cost so that cost is never a barrier to this critical work.
This year’s full-day program will include specialized breakout sessions and a Service Provider Fair showcasing area agencies and resources, alongside Dr. Perry’s two keynote address, all centered on strengths-based, positive youth, family and community development practices. Topics will span positive youth development, mental and behavioral health, and the neuroscience of adversity and resilience. Continuing Education Units are available for LSW, LCSW, LMHC and LMFT licensure through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency.
“Dr. Perry’s work has fundamentally changed how professionals across the world understand and respond to childhood trauma,” said Amanda Miller, Executive Director of Great KIDS Make Great COMMUNITIES. “Bringing him to Fort Wayne for our 37th conference is an incredible opportunity for the mental health providers, educators, caregivers, social workers and first responders in our community who show up for kids every single day. We know this training will give them new tools — and renewed inspiration — to support the children and families they serve.”
About the Keynote Speaker
Dr. Bruce Perry is the Principal of the Neurosequential Network and a Professor (Adjunct) at the School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Over the past forty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences, and his work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on development has informed clinical practice, programs and policy around the world.
Dr. Perry is the author, with Maia Szalavitz, of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog (2006, 2017, 2026) and Born For Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered (2010). His most recent book, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing (2021, 2026), co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, has been translated into 26 languages and spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list after debuting at #1 in April 2021.
Dr. Perry has held faculty positions at the University of Chicago School of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine — where he also served as Chief of Psychiatry for Texas Children’s Hospital — the Alberta Mental Health Board, and the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He developed the Neurosequential Model©, a developmentally sensitive, neurobiology-informed approach used in clinical therapeutics, education, caregiving, early childhood settings and sport, now integrated into practice at hundreds of organizations in every U.S. state and more than 26 countries, impacting an estimated 4 million people worldwide.
Following many high-profile incidents involving traumatized children and youth — including the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine and Sandy Hook school shootings, the September 11th attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the Turkey-Syria earthquake, among others — community and governmental agencies have turned to Dr. Perry for guidance. He has published more than 500 journal articles, book chapters and scientific proceedings, and his work has been featured on 60 Minutes, NPR, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, the Oprah Winfrey Show and in publications including the New York Times, Washington Post and Rolling Stone.
Registration and Ticket Information
Tickets for the 37th Annual Conference on Youth, Families and Communities start at $65 and include a full day of training in positive development, mental and behavioral health, brain science and more.
Register: www.greatkidsallencounty.org/coyfc
Service Provider Booth Registration: www.greatkidsallencounty.org/coyfc
General information: www.greatkidsallencounty.org
About Great KIDS make Great COMMUNITIES
Great KIDS make Great COMMUNITIES empowers youth-serving adults by providing education and training on the application of positive youth development frameworks and strength-based practices, ensuring that children in the community have the opportunities and relationships they need to grow into healthy, productive adults. Great KIDS has been made possible through the generous support of the Foellinger Foundation.
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