National Service Learning Conference

The National Service-Learning Conference was first held in 1988 to serve as "the largest gathering of youth and practitioners from the service-learning movement" of the United States. The conference is a program of the National Youth Leadership Council, and is co-hosted annually by partner organizations in the state or region where it is being held. Sponsors of the conference include United Parcel Service, Best Buy, Shinnyo-en Foundation, United Way of America, and E. Ronald and Patricia Parish.

The conference focuses on service-learning, an approach to teaching and learning in which students use academic knowledge and skills to address genuine community needs. Annually, the National Service-Learning Conference convenes teachers and other service-learning practitioners, administrators, researchers, policy-makers, youth leaders, parents, program coordinators, national service members, community-based organization staffs, and corporate and foundation officers. The conference is unique because typically youth comprise more than half its attendees and are treated as equal contributors. Youth present, exhibit, and attend the three-and-a-half-day event same as their adult counterparts.

Each year the conference features over 200 workshop sessions, thought-leader sessions, keynote addresses, an interactive exhibit hall with a service-learning showcase and college fair, both on- and off-site service-learning projects to allow participants an authentic learning opportunity, an administrator's academy, indigenous service-learning forum, preconference sessions for in-depth learning, as well as countless networking and professional development opportunities. Speakers from around the world present on international issues and help to ground the conference in a rapidly globalizing world. Artists, students, and community members from the host locale contribute to the ambiance of the conference each year. The hallways, exhibit hall aisles, and general spaces are transformed with spoken word, drumming, murals, paintings, etc. The conference takes on the culture of the city that hosts it, from the local food that is served to service projects that provide a deeper understanding of the host city.

For 2012, the conference was co-hosted with youthrive, the upper midwest affiliate of PeaceJam, and presented as The 23rd Annual National Service-Learning Conference & youthrive PeaceJam Leadership Conference. In addition to the full range of conference workshops and activities, the partnership with youthrive PeaceJam brought Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi as a featured speaker, and the week-long event ended with a celebration of Global Youth Service Day at the Mall of America.

The Service-Learning World Forum began in 2008 as a pre-conference session of the larger conference and is now an integral program of the larger conference. The World Forum engages attendees with international leaders, exploring youth service and service-learning as forces that span cultural and national boundaries, building communities and strengthening young people. World Forum attendees discover how service-learning is implemented from Ireland, to Argentina, to the Middle East, and is useful for both those working internationally and those interested in expanding their programs.

Each year since 2003 the conference has highlighted the National Service-Learning Awards. Awards are presented to leaders in the field of service-learning, both youths and adults. In 2006 the first William James National Service Lifetime Achievement Award was presented by the National Youth Leadership Council in conjunction with several leading service organizations. The award was given to former Senator Harris Wofford and presented by President Bill Clinton, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, and Dr. James Kielsmeier. Since its inception, the conference has planted trees in each city that has hosted the event, in honor of the service-learning award winners.

The October 2009 issue of One+ magazine featured a four-page article highlighting the conference and its commitment to the community. One+ magazine is the official publication of Meeting Planners International. One+ is the leading voice of the meeting and event industry, reaching 30,000+ industry professionals on six continents.

List of conferences
ConferenceLocationDateTheme
27thMinneapolis, MinnesotaMarch 30-April 2, 2016Educate. Ignite. Transform.
26thWashington D.C.April 8–11, 2015More Powerful Together
25thWashington D.C.April 9–11, 2014MONUMENTAL
24thDenver, ColoradoMarch 13–15, 2013Without Limits
23rdMinneapolis, MinnesotaApril 11–16, 2012Our World Our Future
22ndAtlanta, GeorgiaApril 6–9, 2011The Time is Now!
21stSan Jose, CaliforniaMarch 24–28, 2010Inspire, Imagine, Innovate!
20thNashville, TennesseeMarch 18–21, 2009Growing Hope, Cultivating Change
19thMinneapolis, MinnesotaApril 9–12, 2008Youth for a Change
18thAlbuquerque, New MexicoMarch 28–31, 2007Beyond Borders, Beyond Boundaries
17thPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania2006We The People
16thLong Beach, California2005Educating for Change
15thOrlando, Florida2004Citizens not Spectators: Fulfilling the Promise of Democracy
14thMinneapolis, Minnesota2003Weaving the Fabric of Community: A Celebration of Service-Learning
13thSeattle, Washington2002Reflecting on the Past, Envisioning the Future
12thDenver, Colorado2001Partnerships for a Civil Society
11thProvidence, Rhode Island2000Leadership for the Common Good
10thSan Jose, California1999Powerful Connections for the 21st Century
9thMinneapolis, Minnesota1998One World: Youth at the Center
8thOrlando, Florida1997Coming Together to Create a Brighter Tomorrow
7thDetroit, Michigan1996A Gathering of Many Voices...Each Voice Counts
6thPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania1995Service-Learning: Integrating Schools and Communities for Learning
5thAlbuquerque, New Mexico1994Leadership for Community Renewal
4thMinneapolis, Minnesota1993Facing the Challenge: Revitalizing Education, Renewing Community
3rdEverett, Washington1992Experience the Power
2ndMinneapolis, Minnesota1991Generating Change: The Power of Service-Learning - Community Renewal and Education Reform
1stMinneapolis, Minnesota1989Growing Hope: Strengthening Education and Building Communities

Past speakers
ConferenceLocationSpeaker(s)
25thWashington D.C.Arne Duncan, Sandra Day O'Connor, Anthony Foxx, Sally Jewell, Harris Wofford
23rdMinneapolis, MinnesotaShirin Ebadi, Geoffrey Canada
22ndAtlanta, GeorgiaGreg Mortenson
21stSan Jose, CaliforniaSir Ken Robinson, Talia Leman, Carol Bellamy
20thNashville, TennesseeDr. James Hildreth
19thMinneapolis, MinnesotaArchbishop Desmond Tutu
18thAlbuquerque, New MexicoJane Goodall
17thPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPresident Bill Clinton, Gerda Weissmann Klein, Hafsat Abiola
16thLong Beach, CaliforniaErin Gruwell
gollark: (I don't actually support this, it would be problematic, but I think there are good arguments that parents getting tons of control over raising children is actually problematic)
gollark: Anyway, I have a better solution, give all children to the government to ensure normalized raising without possibly bad parental whatever involved.
gollark: Sure they are. Both are just "government arbitrarily deciding what some people can do with each other".
gollark: I couldn't say, I've never seriously done forest (or otherwise) arson.
gollark: I mean, it would be less arbitrary by some metrics to go "nothing is a person, human life has value 0" but people don't like that.

See also
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.