Umoja Conference 2023 - Call for Proposals

Proposal Submissions
The purpose of the proposal submission process is to identify presenters with interest, passion, and expertise on a selected topic. All proposals will be evaluated by our program committee based on content, level of engagement, and relevancy to one of the Indaba strands. Proposal submissions will only be accepted by submitting through this link.

Submission Deadline: Proposals are due no later than Friday, September 29, 2023.
Notification: Those submitting proposals will be notified by Monday, October , 2023 regarding the status of their proposal.
Acceptance: Presenters must accept via email by Friday, October 13, 2023
Final Presentation (All materials, links, etc.) Due: Monday, October 27, 2023

Questions: For questions regarding the proposal submission process, please contact info@umojacommunity.org. Download a PDF copy of the submission details on our conference website.

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* 1. Lead presenter name

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* 2. Lead presenter biographical information that briefly highlights their expertise. For Student Scholars, share biographical information that highlight academic and career successes and aspirations

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* 3. Company/college affiliation

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* 4. Contact information (email and telephone)

Telephone

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* 5. Select one Indaba Strand that is aligned to your proposed topic

Student Leadership, Development, and Activism
The Umoja Community integrates leadership training and opportunities for our students. Programs across the state support student leadership groups. The student leaders of the Umoja Community consistently enact a broad range of initiatives and activities on their campuses to build community and foster student success. These indabas will focus on how student leaders are developing themselves and the activities and strategies they are using to make an impact on their campuses and in their communities.

Critical Conversations: Gender, Race, and Identity as Routes for or Roadblocks to Achievement
African American/Black students often endure challenges because of being seen only through a stereotypical lens of their multiple identities of race, gender, and culture. Umoja strives to shatter the misconceptions of Black student scholarship by utilizing cultural imperatives that highlight excellence through African centered practices. This grounding provides a cultural safety net that allows students to flourish. Critical conversation workshops should highlight the ways in which one’s multi-faceted identity may be different yet can be reimagined and internalized as a catapult for student success. Critical conversation workshops may also raise policy, classroom and environmental strategies that must be addressed to advance, sustain, and uplift academic engagement and achievement.

Career Pathways, Academic Transfer, and Life Success
Umoja programming is holistic and aims to prepare students for success in life regardless of major or academic goal. Today’s workforce is global, dependent upon technology and is innovating at a speed that surpasses most of our educational systems. In these sessions, presenters will engage participants in the connection between academic majors and career preparation and will explore the many variations of success. Innovators, visionaries, and community leaders, as well as career technical and workforce development practitioners, are invited to apply to this strand to help Umoja Community and Umoja students prepare for tomorrow.

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* 6. Select your Session Type. (The presenter can determine the presentation format; however, we encourage you to choose a presentation that engages and educates the participants. We are accepting proposals in the formats below)

90-minutes Interactive Indaba. Bring on the evidence-based findings and the transformational programming ideas! The 75 minutes interactive workshop should be layered with engagement and information, and the content should have key takeaways that participants can apply to their own context and setting.

60-minutes Critical Idea Talks. Critically examine and deliberate on pathways to emancipatory education. Share your findings in a brief yet powerful and creative presentation that inspires and transforms.

Umoja Student Scholars Only - 30-minutes Share outs. The 30-minute engaging talks should inform and provide reflections on your academic, professional, or community-based participation and how it has/will impact your goals.

Umoja Student Scholars Only - Community Poster Session. Do you have an idea or research topic you want to present to the community for feedback or exploration? Share your voice in a brief yet powerful and creative poster presentation that inspires and transforms.

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* 7. Keywords/tag (select up to 3 keywords that provide further description about your topic)

Student Activism and Leadership

Community Building and Engagement

Academic Success

Transfer

Cultural Identity Development

Financial Literacy

Health and Wellness

Social Media Engagement

Creativity

Data Engagement

Professional Development

Strategic Partnerships/Relationships

STEM/STEAM

Curriculum/Learning Experience

Career Exploration

Other (please specify)

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* 8. Presentation Title (should excite and inspire the audience in under 15 words)

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* 9. Session Description: (maximum 200 words) that includes a short statement on how your session is aligned to the Umoja Practices Read the Umoja Practices.

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* 10. List 2 key learning objectives: What will the audience earn? How will they be transformed?

Learning Objective 1

Learning Objective 2

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* 11. Describe the student participation: How will you engage students in your session?

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* 12. Summarize the qualitative and/or quantitative data that informs and supports your presentation?

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* 13. Additional presenters' name, emails, and company/college affiliation. For Student Scholars Track provide mentor/Jegna Information

Presenter 1

Presenter 2

Presenter 3