Steubenville EAST Youth Conference Trip & Registration Details
The Archdiocese of Hartford is leading a trip to the Steubenville EAST Youth Conference this summer from July 24-26, 2026, for any Archdiocesan parishes’ youth that would like to attend the conference. We believe in the importance of building community within the young Church, and we recognize the growing desire for young Catholics to be connected not only in their parish but within the larger Archdiocese.
Our vision for this trip is twofold. First, by providing this experience for parishes that do not have the means to organize their own trip, we bring these teens into community with the larger Church. Second, for parishes that have established youth ministry programs and may or may not have attended the Conference in the past, it allows these Youth Ministry Leaders to focus on the relational aspect of the ministry to their teens while not having to worry about the stress of logistics. In other words, they get to be a Youth Minister to their teens for the duration of the trip!
What is the Steubenville EAST Youth Conference?
Started over 40 years ago by the late Fr. Michael Scanlan TOR, the Steubenville EAST Youth Conference is one of the premiere Catholic conferences for teens in North America. During this 3-day Catholic conference for high school teens, produced by Franciscan University of Steubenville and hosted by Life Teen to ignite lifelong discipleship, students will encounter Christ through Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacraments, dynamic sessions, and small group time.
Trip Details
When: July 24-26, 2026
Where: MassMutual Center (Springfield, MA)
Who can attend? The conference is open to any high school youth (incoming freshman through graduating seniors). Participants MUST attend with a group from their parish or school. There will be NO Individual registrations.
Cost For Steubenville EAST
Early Bird Registration: February 2, 2026 – February 27, 2026 = $505 per participant
Regular Registration: February 28, 2026 – June 27, 2026 = $515 per participant
Last Chance Registration: June 29, 2026 – July 12, 2026 = $525 per participant
Important Notes:
- A $50 non-refundable deposit for each participant is due within two weeks of a group’s registration.
- The cost includes conference registration, transportation, hotel lodging, select meals and a conference T-shirt!
Archdiocesan Fee vs. Group Fee – Groups are not required to charge their teens the full Steubenville Archdiocese Rate if they choose. Groups have the option of setting their own rate so long as there is a plan to pay the full balance owed to the Archdiocese. Some groups my elect to charge teens a smaller fee and then fundraise the rest of the full fee. Other groups may charge a reduced rate and subsidize the remaining amount through the parishes’/schools finances and/or budget. Groups have the flexibility to set their own fee so long as full payment is received by the appropriate deadlines.
Registration
There will be NO individual teen or chaperone registrations. All registrations will be done as parish or school group, and each parish/school is required to have a group leader (Youth Minister, DRE, Priest, Deacon, Teacher etc.) and the proper number of VIRTUS Trained Chaperones. Per Archdiocesan policy, groups are required to have a minimum of two male chaperones and/or two female chaperones for each gender for overnight trips in addition to having a ratio of one adult chaperone for every seven teens.
Any parish desiring to register will submit a group registration that must include the total number of teens, chaperones and clergy that will be attending from that parish. With the registration a $50 non-refundable deposit is due, per spot, within two weeks of submitting a registration (Priests registration is free). If the deposit is not received within two weeks of completing a group registration, the spots will no longer be saved. Final payment for all group spots is due by June 27, 2026.
Once a deposit for a group is received in full, there are two forms that must be filled out for each participant:
- Online Conference Waiver – Each participant will need to fill out the Online Conference Waiver. A link to a website with a unique code for the Archdiocese of Hartford group will be sent to group leaders to disseminate to teens (and their parents/guardians) and chaperones. This form is due by July 20, 2026.
- Archdiocesan Release Form – Each participant will need to fill out an Archdiocesan Release Form. A PDF of this form will be sent to group leaders to disseminate to teens (and their parents/guardians) and chaperones. This form is due at check-in on July 24, 2026.
- Priest Registration – Priest Registration is free! Please note in your group registration if your group is planning to bring a priest. If you do register a priest with your group, a separate link for the priest online waiver registration will be sent out to the group to give to their priest. The clergy registration will also include other paperwork that must be submitted including a letter of good standing.
- Please Note: Deacons, Seminarians and Religious Sisters/Brother who attend are still charged the normal registration fee.
- Adding/Dropping Spots – Groups may drop spots up until June 27, 2026. Groups would forfeit the deposit for those spots but would not owe the remaining balance. Any spots that are not dropped by June 27, 2026, the group is responsible for paying the remaining balance in full regardless of if it is filled by a teen or not.
Registration FAQ
Life Teen, the host of Steubenville EAST, has a limited number of scholarships available for teens to attend the Steubenville Conferences. If your group has a teen in financial need, please submit the scholarship application. Scholarship applications are due by April 15, 2026.
If your deacon would like to vest for the conference liturgies, in addition to being registered with your group, he must also fill out the Clergy Registration form and follow the instructions for submitting a Letter of Good Standing.
All participants attending the conference (group leaders, chaperones, teens, etc.) must complete a digital liability form. To fill out the digital paperwork for a child, you will need to send the code or give a direct link to the parents. This instructional video will walk a parent through the steps for completing the paperwork.
Yes. You will have to notify Joshua Kay (joshua.kay@aohct.org) to have their online waiver removed from the digital platform and have the person replacing them fill out the form using the unique code received during group registration.
Event FAQs
The schedule for the conference will be available for group leaders to share with their teens and families in July 2026.
Because the Archdiocese of Hartford is hosting the trip, check-in for all group leaders, chaperones and teens will take place on Friday, July 24, 2026, at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford. We will then travel by bus as one group from the Archdiocese to the conference. Detailed information about the check-in process for groups will be emailed to group leaders closer to the trip.
Groups will be assigned to a bus that will have a regional drop off location close to their parish/school. There will be locations in the north, south, west and central part of the Archdiocese for pick-up at the conclusion of the conference on Sunday, July 26. 2026. Detailed information about the drop off process for groups will be emailed to group leaders closer to the trip.
No, because of safety, security, liability, and safe environment requirements, The Conference Hosts (Life Teen) are not able to have visitors who aren’t registered participants attend any part of the conference.
Social Media, Website, Bulletins, Mass Announcements and word of mouth at your youth ministry gatherings are some of the ways that you can promote the conference to your young people. The archdiocese of Hartford is working to create a media kit, full of resources, to help you encourage your teens to encounter the Lord at the conference this summer.