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 and Saturday lunch are included in the registration fee. We will have coffee and granola bars available Saturday morning, as well as snacks in the afternoon.
Friday, November 13
Conference Check-in and Dinner | 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. | Knights Ballroom
Please allow about 45 minutes to check-in, get dinner from the cafeteria, and settle in before our opening programming.
Friday Evening Activities | 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. | Knights Ballroom
Welcome and Orientation to the conference
Ice breakers & Energizers
“Civic Leadership in Everyday Places”
A student panel featuring Marisa Grant (Mount Mercy University), Maddison Cunningham (Grand View University), Ava Carnes (Simpson College), Sheerah Paintsil (Concordia College), and Payton Donohoe (Mount Mercy University)
In civic life, leadership does not always come with a title or specific set of skills. It is present in everyday relationships – how people work together, listen, navigate challenges, build trust, and share responsibility. The panel will share stories and reflect on lessons learned from leading alongside others.
Saturday, November 14
Coffee & Networking | 8:15 – 9:00 a.m. | Knights Ballroom
Start your day slowly with coffee, granola bars, and networking with your peers.
Opening Large Group Session | 9:00 – 9:20 a.m. | Knights Ballroom
Energizing group gathering.
Deep Dive Breakout Sessions | 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Reentry Simulation, Justice Learning Initiative, Knights Ballroom
How we address wrongdoing reflects our values and shapes in profound ways the world we live in. 95% of those incarcerated will be released from prison, yet they will face formidable obstacles to successful reentry. The Reentry Simulation provides a glimpse into those challenges, humanizing the vast, impersonal, and often invisible carceral system. Participants role-play the part of an individual recently released from prison, navigating the obstacles to housing, employment, and stability. Come ready to consider: Are these obstacles inevitable? Why do so many people end up returning to prison? What might we do differently? Can you imagine alternatives?
Wellness as a Civic Skill, Jaina Two-Rivers, Castle Room
Wellness is too often treated as a personal indulgence, separate from working, organizing, and civic life — but sustainable community change requires sustainable people. Our session together will reframe wellness as a civic skill: a practice that strengthens our capacity to show up for our communities and for each other. Together we’ll explore integrative wellness modalities, how privilege shapes who gets to prioritize it, and how to embed these practices into your day to day. Capped at 20 participants.
Lunch | 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 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 small group discussion.
Midday Reset | 12:15 p.m. | Knights Ballroom
Wartburg Social Work class will lead a grounding activity before heading to breakout sessions.
Breakout Sessions | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Creative Engagement, Reese Shannan, WBC 116
This session will engage participants in creative problem solving and learn about its essential use in addressing real world problems and navigating competing interests, specifically in relation to the homelessness ecosystem.
Diving into Trust, Mistrust, and Distrust, Katelyn Johnson and Minh Anh Bui, Castle Room
This workshop will engage participants in self-reflection and group activities designed to develop skills in building and sustaining trust. Participants will learn how trust, mistrust, and distrust are defined and how these affect their personal and professional relationships.
“See Something, Say Something!” Learning How to Go From Bystander to Upstander, Brianna Blasnitz, WBC 215
Learn to recognize signs of discomfort and take action when someone’s boundaries may be crossed. Explore practical ways to move from bystander to upstander and support others. Snacks are offered!
Hunger Simulation, led by Kira Schall, McCoy Conference Room
DMARC’s Hunger Simulation allows you to step into the role of someone living with food insecurity and understand the challenges they face. Come ready for an immersive experience to learn and discuss!
Volunteer Work and Academic Affairs: How Collaboration Transformed a Volunteer Project, Neil Klossner and Blake Thompson, WBC 217
This session focuses on how collaboration between the computer science department and Office of Community Engagement at the University of Minnesota Morris transformed a school supply drive.
Breakout Sessions | 2:15 – 3:15 p.m.
Creating Change in Your Community by Building Bridges, Henry Skatvold, McCoy Conference Room
How can I foster change in my community that I cannot produce alone? This workshop will answer this question by providing methods to build connections within your institution and the greater community to nurture effective and lasting action.
More Than a Degree: Building Community Through Service, Gabriella Rosecrans and Elena Kahler-Sinotte, WBC 116
This session is about what Civic Engagement and Volunteerism looks like in higher education and its benefits. We will also go over how to get involved.
From Research to Community Action: Building Stronger Local Food Systems, Libby Gustafson and Shayera Spero, WBC 217
How can community-based research inspire meaningful civic action and strengthen local food systems? In this interactive session, members of the UMN Morris Food Systems Team will explore how food assessments, community knowledge, and local partnership can inspire local action.
So You Hate Politics. Now What?, Fernanda Japa, WBC 215
Overwhelmed by political news, division, and endless arguments? Find ways to participate in civic life without feeling like you have to know everything.
Art for Advocacy and Social Change, AJ Speck, WBC 117
Want to make art for change? Come discuss strategies to combine artistic inspiration and advocacy. Make your own mind map and idea collage through guided crafts and thinking exercises.
Wrapping Up | 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. | Knights Ballroom
Snacks will be served.
Speaker Bios
Brianna Blasnitz | University of Northern Iowa
Brianna Blasnitz (she/they) is a senior family services and psychology student at University of Northern Iowa, currently conducting research examining how external workforce stressors, such as underfunding and high caseloads, affect the psychological well-being and professional efficacy of domestic violence, sexual assault, and homicide advocates. They are passionate about understanding how systems and workplace conditions affect those who support survivors and helping promote sustainable, effective advocacy. Brianna is an avid Dungeons & Dragons player and also enjoys reading horror and thriller novels.
Ngoc Minh Anh Bui | Grinnell College
Minh Anh is a second-year student at Grinnell College majoring in psychology and theater. She and her co-presenter, Katelyn Johnson, worked together to understand how trust was developed within the Grinnell community. Through workshops within the community, they learned how trust has grown and withered.
Ava Carnes | Simpson College
Ava Carnes is a senior studying education and history at Simpson College. She’s passionate about mental health advocacy, education equity, and reproductive rights. She is involved in Student Government as the Junior Class President and is deeply involved in her sorority’s philanthropy work, also serving on the Panhellenic Council. Ava received Seed Coalition’s Engaged Campus Award for Emerging Innovation in 2025. In her free time she loves to read, write poetry, and collect CDs.
Maddison Cunningham | College Corps Member, Grand View University
Maddison Cunningham is a recent alum and the Community and Belonging Coordinator at Grand View University through the Seed Coalition College Corps program. She’s passionate about mental health, women’s rights, and racial equity. She has served as secretary of the Black Student Union and Vice President of Student Life on the Viking Council and has participated on the track and field team. She is looking forward to engaging more with her community as she enters the workforce. This is her fourth year at the Civic Action Academy!
Marisa Grant | Mount Mercy University
Marisa Grant isa senior at Mount Mercy University, majoring in Exercise Science and Biology on a pre-chiropractic track. She is heavily involved on campus, and her roles range from different executive positions in student clubs to music ensembles.
Libby Gustafson | AmeriCorps VISTA, University of Minnesota, Morris
Libby Gustafson is an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving on the Food Systems Team at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Libby is passionate about food security and language access, serves on the Rural Intercultural Education Initiative (RIEI) Advisory Council, and is a recipient of the Bill and Ida Stewart Award for Racial Justice. She has taught community ESL classes for 4 years and enjoys seeing her students grow and participate in the community. She also loves arts and crafts like painting, sewing, and coloring.
Fernanda Japa | Buena Vista University
Fernanda Japa is a third year political science and digital media major at Buena Vista University. There she serves as editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper The Tack, and as president of their chapter of the Society of Collegiate Journalists. Her dedication to journalism has gained her recognition from the Iowa College Media Association (ICMA) and earned a national First Place Feature Writing award from the College Media Association (CMA), alongside a First Place award in the inaugural Iowa Business-for-Good Journalism Contest. She is passionate about political and social issues, particularly in helping young people find accessible ways to participate in democracy.
Katelyn Johnson | Grinnell College
Katelyn Johnson (she/her) is a third-year double majoring in Computer Science and Political Science. She’s interested in the intersection of government and technology, particularly how to leverage technology to address complex societal challenges. She’s worked at the Scarlet & Black for two years and intends to use her storytelling skills gained from that experience to communicate her analyses to promote accountability and justice. In her free time, she loves to read mystery novels, try new eye makeup designs, and play sudoku.
Justice Learning Initiative | Coe College
Coe’s Justice Learning Initiative (JLI) provides hands-on, high-impact experiences for students and community members to engage with social justice issues that affect us all. A central focus is community education about real-life impacts of the criminal legal system, the effects of incarceration, and the challenges of reentry. JLI seeks to build welcoming, thriving communities through educational programming that enhances empathy and understanding and fosters positive change. An affiliate of JLI, Prison Learning Initiative, Coe’s college-in-prison program, offers for-credit college courses at Anamosa State Penitentiary in partnership with Iowa Department of Corrections.
Elena Kahler-Sinotte | Central Lakes College
Elena Kahler-Sinotte is a pre-social work graduate student at Central Lakes College. Elena previously served as Student Senate President and completed a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA through Seed Coalition, during which she brought the first 9/11 Week of Service to CLC. Elena is most passionate about LGBTQ+ rights, environmentalism, anti-poverty and food security efforts, and strengthening her local community. She is passionate about She enjoys choir, entomology, photography, and going for walks.
Neil Klossner | Unviersity of Minnesota, Morris
Neil Klossner is a second year political science and social justice major at University of Minnesota, Morris. Neil is involved with on-campus radio and the student government, and has spent two years working with the Office of Community Engagement. This semester he has focused on increasing student turnout in the midterm elections and advocating to change the way preferred names are displayed in the university’s database to those not attending the university. He is also a great whistler.
Sheerah Paintsil | Concordia College
Sheerah Paintsil is a Concordia College senior studying Communication Studies and Social Activism. She serves as President of MOPOC and is passionate about racial justice, youth advocacy, and community empowerment.
Gabriella Rosecrans | AmeriCorps VISTA, Central Lakes College
Gabriella Rosecrans currently serves as the AmeriCorps VISTA member at Central Lakes College through the Seed Coalition VISTA program. She is passionate about protecting the environment, LGBTQ2+ rights, and food security. Gabriella currently serves as the advisor to the Community Connect Club. She enjoys collecting and building Lego sets!
Kira Schall | Drake University
Kira is a senior studying marketing and PR, and has been Drake’s Food Security Lead for over two years. She leads food security outreach efforts on campus and partners with the IMPACT CAP food pantry.
Reese Shannan | AmeriCorps VISTA, Drake University
Reese Shannan (she/they) currently serves as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Seed Coalition. They are passionate about holistic wellbeing, community strengthening, and poverty justice, regularly joining the local Street Outreach team which provides contact to local unsheltered residents. Reese serves as a teaching artist for the After School Arts Program (ASAP) and as volunteer coordinator co-chair for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP). They have have a pet pigeon named Pancake, and a three-legged rescue turtle named Puddle, and would love to talk to you about crafting, resourcefulness, and sustainability.
Henry Skatvold | Concordia College
Henry Skatvold is an educator, performer, and leader. Henry is a scholar of music education and pursues a community-centric style of artistic interpretation in his leadership roles. Beyond his studies in education, Henry enjoys philosophy and musicology. Outside academia, Henry is an avid gardener, a pilot, an adventure seeker, and an experimental cook.
AJ Speck | Drake University
AJ Speck (he/him) is a senior at Drake University studying Musical Theatre and Creative Writing. He also works in Drake’s Office of Community Engaged Learning as the Events and Training Coordinator.
Shayera Spero | University of Minnesota, Morris
Shayera Spero is a second year psychology student at the University of Minnesota, Morris. She works for the food systems team at UMN Morris, and is one of the leaders of the circle of nations indigenous association on her campus. She is also a leader in the campus activities counsel. A fun fact – Shayera has seen a bear while camping!
Blake Thompson | University of Minnesota, Morris
Blake is a student at the University of Minnesota, Morris, currently, majoring in computer science. He contributes to working on software for the Ready4Learning program through the university .
Jaina Two-Rivers | AmeriCorps VISTA, Peace in Practice
Jaina Two Rivers, ERYT-500, NCMT 1000 is a yoga teacher, a massage and craniosacral therapist, and an international retreat facilitator. Jaina has been in the wellness industry as a practitioner and a teacher for over 30 years. She has led wellness and yoga retreats for groups in over 19 countries, and is currently serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA through the Seed Coalition VISTA program.
