We will continue to update this page as we confirm details. Session titles and information are included below so attendees can see what kinds of sessions will be offered – please note times are likely to change as we finalize the schedule.
Logistics
Location: Saemann Student Center, Wartburg College. You can find directions to campus and updates about any construction on their directions page.
Parking: You can find options for parking on Wartburg’s visitor parking map – Lot E is closest to the Saemann Student Center. There is also street parking.
Wifi: All guests will register themselves to access campus wifi. Select the “WC_Wireless” network, and then open a web browser to connect to the internet and begin the registration process.
Meals: Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, and Saturday lunch are all included in the registration fee. Friday lunch is provided for students who register for the Student Leader Workshop pre-conference
Friday, November 15
Pre-conference (requires separate registration)
Check-in
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m., Hagemann Castle Room on the second floor of the Student Center
Lunch and Student Leadership Workshop:
Self and Community Advocacy for Current and Future Changemakers
12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Castle Room
This workshop, facilitated by Lexi Borgesen and Skyler Ramsey, will engage students in self-reflection and group activities designed to build skills for advocacy, decision-making, and consensus building.
General Conference
Registration and check-in
4:00 – 4:30 p.m., Knights Ballroom
Dinner and Welcome
4:30 – 5:00 p.m., Knights Ballroom
Opening Keynote with Maribel Lopez
(Em)power to the People! Democratizing News and Information: Empowering Ourselves and Our Communities Through Information and Media Literacy
5:00 – 6:00 p.m., Knights Ballroom
Meet & Greet
6:00 – 7:00 p.m., Knights Ballroom
Saturday, November 16
Grab-and-Go Breakfast
9:00 – 9:30 a.m., Knights Ballroom
Concurrent Breakout Sessions | Block 1 | 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Addressing Gender Disparities in Politics: How WE Can Encourage Women to Run for Public Office, Olivia Schneider, WBC 116
Despite efforts promoting proportional representation in government, gender disparities persist across the realm of politics. This session will discuss why this continues to be the case and what we, collectively, can do about it.
Hospitality and Storytelling: The Bridge to Connection, ThreeHouse Collaborative Campus Ministries, WBC 214 (Buckmaster)
This session focuses on how radical hospitality and collaboration lead to storytelling opportunities, allowing for deeper connection, empathy, and inclusion to be cultivated in our communities.
Textbook Equity 101, Geneva Bell and Nkasa Bolumbu, WBC 215
This session will focus on educating students on textbook affordability as an initiative as well as providing action steps for students to advocate for textbook equity on their campus.
Pack the Backpack: Addressing Food and Water Insecurity Through Campus Initiatives, Carter Stubitz, WBC 217
In partnership with the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, students at Wartburg College packed over 16,000 bags of food on October 18, 2023 to serve those in need in Northeast Iowa. This session will educate participants about food and water insecurity in the US. Using the Pack the Backpack event as a frame, it will also discuss the importance of sustainability and planning for student-led initiatives.
Concurrent Breakout Sessions | Block 2 | 10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
Making Your Way Through the Media Maze: Mastering Information and Media Literacy, Maribel Lopez, WBC 116
This is an interactive session to empower attendees as informed media consumers, providing practical skills to critically engage with and navigate our complex media landscape through collaborative activities. This session will enhance participants’ understanding of information literacy and equip them to identify and combat misinformation and encourage others to do the same.
RIYO in Action: Engaging and Supporting Refugee & Immigrant Youth, Joana Lwin and David Niyogushima, WBC 214 (Buckmaster)
Explore ways to engage refugee and immigrant youth through connection, support, and empowerment. Learn how RIYO fosters belonging and growth—ideal for educators, leaders, and advocates.
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens as a Frame for Community Engagement, Reese Osborne, WBC 215
By mastering the process of developing positive habits, you not only improve your own life but also gain the skills to help others build their own. This session will cover key habits and provide practical strategies for making them a part of your daily routine.
Lunch
12:00 – 1:15 p.m., Knights Ballroom
Lunch will be served in the Mensa – participants will get their meal in the cafeteria and take it to the ballroom for lunch and affinity group and small group discussion.
Concurrent Breakout Sessions | Block 3 | 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Understanding Tokenism in Workplace and Educational Environments, Sophie Estrada Snow, WBC 116
This will be a reflective session where the presenter shares about what they are learning about navigating higher education and the professional landscape while inhabiting oft-tokenized identities. Participants will be given the opportunity to reflect upon a case study, identify tokenism, and envision a different, more inclusive approach. Through self-aware collective reflection, there are ways these biases may be identified and transformed.
How Gen Z Is Unionizing in Iowa, Amie Rivers, Iowa Starting Line, WBC 214 (Buckmaster)
From graduate students at Grinnell to Starbucks baristas in Iowa City and Davenport, Iowa’s young workers are fighting for better wages and respect, and finding power in coming together. Learn how.
Day of Dialogue: How to Support Civic Conversations, Cielo Herrera, WBC 215
The annual Day of Dialogue event at the University of Iowa provides a model for having difficult discussions. This session will shadow the 2023 event, which focused on Greek life, and will explore how this event can be replicated on other campuses to foster proactive conversations for the betterment of campus culture and connection.
Yes, You Can Run!, Rob Barron, WBC 217
If you have ever thought about running for public office at any level, this session will help you get started on developing the vision and practical steps to do so. Participants will explore why they want to serve, how to run, and how to make their elected service fulfilling.
Closing Plenary :
Civic Mobility in the Heartland: Turning Youth Civic Engagement Research into Action
Student researchers Nathan Buhr, Summer Dingman, Angela Gahan, Theresa Nguyen, and Elias Seranova, with Principal Investigator Dr. Jodi Benenson, Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
2:45 – 4:00 p.m., Knights Ballroom
Student researchers will provide an overview of their contributions to a youth civic engagement research project in the Heartland of the U.S., including the goals of the project, recent findings, and opportunities for participation. Panelists will then invite conference attendees to engage in a participatory research activity to close out the conference.
Snacks will be served.
Speaker Bios
Maribel Lopez, Head of PBS Digital Studios
As head of PBS Digital Studios, Maribel Lopez serves as the executive producer of PBS’s award-winning original digital programming, oversees publishing operations, and manages relationships with PBS member stations on behalf of PBS Digital Studios. A frequent public media conference presenter and panelist, Maribel is most passionate about engaging newer, younger audiences with public media through digital journalism and storytelling and is interested in developing and retaining public media’s future leaders.
Rob Barron
Rob is the Executive Director of Seed Coalition. He has dedicated his life to public engagement, especially to bringing new voices to positions of influence. Rob served for eight years on the Des Moines School Board, the first Latino elected to that office. He is also the co-founder of the Latino Political Network, a non-partisan organization which serves to educate and empower Latinos to serve at all levels of elected office throughout Iowa.
Lexi Borgesen
Lexi (she/her) is a VISTA Leader at Seed Coalition. As a VISTA Leader, Lexi supports a cohort of VISTA members by providing professional development opportunities and supportive services. After graduating from Hamline University with a degree in social justice, she served as a Food Access VISTA advocating for basic needs and running the food shelf on Hamline’s campus. In addition to her VISTA work, Lexi serves those impacted by the foster care system by way of Community Board at Foster Advocates, advocating at the Minnesota legislature, and being in community with Fosters.
Dave Glenn-Burns
Dave (he/him) is the campus minister at ThreeHouse Collaborative Campus Ministries. Collaborating is a key aspect of Dave’s approach to ministry. Dave brings an interest in Safe Zone Ally training, multi-faith collaborating, neurodiversity collaboration in ministry settings along with collaborating with the university and local church community. He loves to find local food places, musical collaboration projects and spending time on prairies, along waterways and in woods.
Skyler Ramsey
Skyler (they/them) is currently serving as a VISTA for the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and the Iowa Nonprofit Alliance (INA) through Seed Coalition. Skyler received their B.A. in Finance, Real Estate, Organizational Leadership, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship from UNI. Skyler’s public advocacy experience began when they volunteered with Retrieving Freedom to foster six service dogs in training. Skyler is also passionate about promoting LGBTQ-inclusion in religious spaces. They work in a church, regularly volunteer at the food pantry hosted there, and are passionate about advocating for equitable access in Real Estate and business.
Amie Rivers
Amie Rivers is Iowa Starting Line’s community editor, labor reporter and newsletter snarker-in-chief. Previously, she was an award-winning journalist at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier; now, she very much enjoys making TikToks and memes.
Refugee and Immigrant Youth Organization (RIYO)
RIYO empowers refugee and immigrant youth by providing a safe space for self-exploration. Through education and community engagement, we equip them to thrive and build meaningful connections.
