For the very first time, The CiRCE Institute is thrilled to introduce our inaugural Youth Conference for high school students.

In the profound story, The Horse and His Boy (C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia), the young boy Shasta, or Cor, is surprised to discover his true identity as Corin’s older twin and the rightful heir to the throne. However, he does not want to be king, believing the throne should be Corin’s, as Corin was the one who grew up in the king’s home.

To this claim, his father replies, “Tis no question what thou wantest, Cor, nor I either. ‘Tis in the course of law.” Not even the king has the authority to choose otherwise: “No. The King is under the law, for it’s the law makes him a king. Hast no more power to start away from thy crown than any sentry from his post.”

In this passage, Lewis embodies a particular understanding of duty and desire. The two can often be at odds with one another, leaving one to determine how he ought to choose between the two. Duty, at least largely, is more easily rationally justified, but desire, often, pulls more strongly on the heart.

For CiRCE’s first ever high schoolers conference, we are calling high school-aged students to consider duty and desire: what are they, what authority do they have over us, what authority should they have over us, how do we choose between them, and how do we follow through on the choice that is made?

This is a new venture for CiRCE, and one that arose from our recognition of a growing number of students nearing graduation who actively engage with our national conference, as they prepare for their future after high school. We want to provide you with more as you work to resolve this next step, and that is why a select number of Colleges and Honor Programs will also participate in this event. This is not a college fair. Through this unique opportunity, they aim to provide you with a glimpse into what a class in their program entails as they also present on the theme of Duty and Desire, and, if you choose to attend their school, serving as a model for your academic journey ahead.

Come join us at the Francis Marion Hotel, while the CiRCE National Conference is also taking place.

Here is how this will work:

Registration for the Duty and Desire conference does NOT get you access to the Contemplation of Prudence conference, and registration for the Contemplation of Prudence conference does not get you access to the Duty and Desire conference. Please do not cross over into the other event.

College led sessions are not presentations by a college representative on why you should choose their college. College led sessions are led by a professor from the college to demonstrate what a class looks like at their school. It may be a lecture or presentation; it may be a seminar style discussion; that depends on the college’s own way of teaching classes.