Engage NOW Conference Call for Proposals

Deadline: Proposals should be submitted electronically to speakers@cartermcrae.com by midnight (MST) on Friday, April 17th, 2009.

Community members, non‐profit organizations and change‐agents, staff, faculty and students from higher education and secondary school are invited to submit proposals for the engage NOW conference being held Thursday, October 1, 2009 in Calgary, Alberta. Proposals for presentations, workshops, case studies and poster presentations relating to campus-community partnerships, community development, Community‐Based Research and Community Service‐Learning are welcome.

The University of Calgary’s Service‐Learning and Community Engagement Program, together with the engage NOW organizing committee invites community members, leaders in the non‐profit sector, staff and faculty in Canadian higher
education institutions, and students, teachers and administrators from Canadian high schools, as well as international delegates, to submit proposals for presentations, workshops, case studies and poster presentations that address the following thematic areas:

engage SERVICE
The fields of service‐learning, experiential education and community‐based research are growing quickly across Canada and institutions of higher education are increasingly promoting collaborative projects with the greater community, and
particularly with the non‐profit sector. How do we create and sustain meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships? How do we support community‐engagement at the institutional level and enhance our capacity to do this type of work? What are the best practices for these partnerships?

engage CHANGE
As citizens, institutions, regions and nations, we are faced with an array of complex challenges: declining civic engagement, climate change and environmental degradation, disparities between rich and poor and a global economic crisis among others. Not one of these challenges can be resolved by individuals – solutions require collaboration between sectors, institutions and
individual citizens. We invite proposals from groups or individuals who have collaborated to tackle issues in their communities, particularly when such endeavors have been partnerships between higher education and the community.

engage YOUTH
How do we best prepare youth to engage with communities and to initiate change in our world? How are youth contributing to social change? What are the barriers to youth civic engagement, and how do we best support youth civic engagement? How do youth respond to community‐based learning? What are best practices for supporting leadership development and student learning through service?

Proposals on other related topics will be considered.

Individual or Group Presentation Sessions: Individuals or groups are invited to present material that would be of interest to other conference delegates including youth, community partners, and staff and faculty in higher education. Proposals
should include a description of the presentation and anticipated learning goals for session. Two or three papers on similar topics will be grouped together in the same concurrent session. Presentations will be 20 minutes in length.

Case Study and Workshop Sessions: Individuals or groups are invited to prepare and present hands‐on opportunities for participants to learn or practice a new skill in an active setting. Case studies and workshop sessions may be up to 75 minutes in length. Proposals should detail anticipated learning goals for participants, as well as your plan to engage participants. At least 50% of the session should be devoted to active participation.

Poster Presentations: Individuals or groups are invited to prepare poster presentations relating to the themes mentioned above. Posters should be prepared to fit a standard 4’ X 8’ display area.

Submission Process:
• Send abstracts of no more than 500 words to speakers@cartermcrae.com by midnight (MST) on Friday, April 17, 2009, subject line engage NOW proposal.
• Indicate whether you are proposing a Presentation, Workshop, Case Study or Poster.
• List contact information for presenter(s).

Review Process and Selection Criteria:
All proposals will be reviewed by the engage NOW organizing committee. Proposals will be reviewed using the following criteria:
• Relevance to the conference theme
• Articulation of learning objectives for session participants
• Description of the session
• Quality of active‐learning component (for workshop and case studies)
• Overall contribution to the fields of community development, community‐based learning and community servicelearning
• Applicability of proposals to the greater Calgary community

*Collaborative presentations between community and campus representatives are especially welcome.