Civics / Community Organizing

Workshop Description: Learn about mentoring opportunities with BBBS and Randall Elementary. Make an impact on youth in your community by becoming a Mentor. 

Participants can expect: Verbal Presentation / Lecture, Q&A

This workshop is offered: AM, sessions 1 & 2

Content Level: Beginner, 10th-12th grade students

Speaker Bio: Miriam Whiteagle is the site Based Coordinator for the BBBS High School Leadership Program. Doing Recruitment for our school mentoring program between West High School and Randall Elementary.

Workshop Description: Community doesn’t just “happen” — someone builds it. Why not you? In this fast-paced, hands-on workshop, you’ll map your people, design your first meetup, and learn how to turn a shared idea into something real. Be prepared for reflection and conversation. 

Participants can expect: Reading & Discussion, Hands-on Activity, Problem-solving, Small group work, Verbal Presentation / Lecture, Writing

This workshop is offered: AM, sessions 1 & 2

Content Level: Beginner 

Speaker Bio: Mouna Algahaithi is a local community organizer and experienced facilitator with over a decade of experience. She loves bringing people together, improv comedy, poetry, and cooking good food. 

Workshop Description: This workshop offers students an opportunity to engage deeply with the strategies of 19th-century abolitionists and their relevance to contemporary activism. By examining how abolitionists addressed systemic injustice rooted in economic and social hierarchies, participants will gain new perspectives on tackling current critical issues, such as climate change, systemic prejudice, or authoritarianism.

Participants can expect: Discussion, Reading & Discussion, Problem-solving, Small group work, Advocacy / Action

This workshop is offered: AM, sessions 1 & 2

Content Level: Intermediate 

Speaker Bio: David Ross is a former West High social studies teacher.  He is excited to help facilitate a dynamic equity workshop where students can engage in thought-provoking conversations about contemporary issues. Throughout his thirty years of teaching at West High,  he taught philosophy, the Middle East, APUSH, and social issues.

Workshop Description: Democracy is participatory and you can lead! Learn some key steps to running for local government right here in Madison. 

Participants can expect: Discussion, Hands-on Activity, Advocacy / Action

This workshop is offered: AM, sessions 1 & 2

Content Level: Beginner 

Speaker Bio: Blair Mosner Feltham is a teacher who has run for local office and won! She is a teacher, a mom, and a member of the MMSD Board of Education. 

Workshop Description: Rep. Hong will speak about how the legislature works, the importance of youth representation and the impacts of state government.

Participants can expect: Discussion, Hands-on Activity, Small group work, Advocacy / Action, Verbal Presentation / Lecture

This workshop is offered: AM, sessions 1 & 2

Content Level: Intermediate 

Speaker Bio: Francesca Hong is a mom, service industry worker, and community organizer. Elected in 2020, she is the first Asian American to serve in the Wisconsin State Legislature, representing the 76th Assembly District in Madison. She is an original author of the Economic Justice Bill of Rights and prioritizes progressive legislation, including universal school meals, paid leave for all, and fully funded public education. Her dedication to service is rooted in sharing power with working class people and building cross-racial solidarity. 

Workshop Description: In this symposium, we will examine the argument of historian Lawrence Rees in "The Nazi Mind: Twelve Warnings from History" and use his framework to evaluate how — and to what extent — it may apply today. Some argue that the United States is sliding toward authoritarianism; others insist such comparisons are exaggerated or irresponsible. This session explores both the power and the danger of historical analogy, inviting students to weigh evidence, consider competing claims, and decide for themselves whether Rees’s warnings are persuasive.

Participants can expect: Discussion, Problem-solving, Small group work, Verbal Presentation / Lecture, Q&A, Debate

This workshop is offered: PM, sessions 3 & 4

Content Level: Intermediate 

Speaker Bio: David Ross is a former West High social studies teacher.  He is excited to help facilitate a dynamic equity workshop where students can engage in thought-provoking conversations about contemporary issues. Throughout his thirty years of teaching at West High,  he taught philosophy, the Middle East, APUSH, and social issues.

Workshop Description: A student-led workshop on gun violence prevention and community action. Learn what we’ve accomplished, discuss gun laws, and take real steps to make your voice heard through public comment and advocacy!

Participants can expect: Discussion, Hands-on Activity, Small group work, Advocacy / Action, Verbal Presentation / Lecture, Writing

This workshop is offered: AM, sessions 1 & 2 

Content Level: Beginner 

Speaker Bio: We are Eleanor (12th grade) and Lily (11th grade), and we lead March For Our Lives

Workshop Description: Ready to vote, know your rights, and have access to the ballot

Participants can expect: Hands-on Activity, Game(s)

This workshop is offered: AM, sessions 1 & 2 

Content Level: Beginner 

Speaker Bio: Hector Portillo is the executive director of PADRES E HIJOS EN ACCION. Padres e Hijos en Acción is a grassroots organization of individuals with disabilities, their families, friends, and community members building fulfilling and community-centered lives for Latino children.

For the past 3 years I have been in partnership with Waisman Center on the Community Solutions for Health Equity (CSHE) project, and other projects.

I had been working with Latino Hispanic families and other culturally diverse populations to provide information, resources, and support for families of students with disabilities.

I am a moderator of PADRES E HIJOS EN ACCION’s Radio Show that takes place monthly on move 1480 AM 

I worked as a Family Engagement Coordinator for a Wisconsin Statewide Parent-Educator Initiative (WSPEI) Cooperative Educational Service Agency 2 (CESA 2) in southern Wisconsin I worked as an Academic Case Manager at the Latino Academic of Workforce Development (LAWD). I had opportunities to help LAWD to assist the Latino Community with bilingual education and employment programs, also worked with families, schools (MATC), and community agencies (Centro Hispano, and Job Connect) to support building positive partnerships.

I have made presentations in ALAS, WI FACETS, DTAN The NETWORK, TCN Circles of Life (WI. Statewide Transition Academy), Richland Center, Gillette, Abbotsford, Wittenberg, Whitewater, Green Bay, Madison, Milton, and Watertown School districts

Workshop Description: Most people are taught that helping others happens through formal organizations like charities or the government — but mutual aid is different. It’s about solidarity: people supporting each other as equals and building trust, connection, and real community. In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn how mutual aid works in real life, from everyday challenges like getting a ride to school or work to bigger moments like food stamps being taken away. You’ll leave with an understanding of how ordinary people your age can build stronger, more connected communities together.

Participants can expect: Discussion, Hands-on Activity, Problem-solving, Small group work, Advocacy / Action, Verbal Presentation / Lecture, Q&A, Debate

This workshop is offered: AM, sessions 1 & 2

Content Level: Beginner 

Speaker Bio: When the federal government shutdown in November 2025 caused people to lose their SNAP (FoodShare) benefits, Makenzie Stanberry started Madison Grocery Share, a mutual aid project to match neighbors who needed help with other neighbors who could pitch in. In a few weeks, MGS connected about 600 households to neighbors who could help them directly with $139,000+ in grocery costs.

Workshop Description: Senator Kelda Roys will talk about legislation she worked on in the previous legislative session and have time to engage in Q&A with students about state government, policies that directly impact them, and any other questions they may have for their state senator! 

Participants can expect: Verbal Presentation/Lecture, Q&A

This workshop is offered: PM, session 3 

Content Level: Beginner 

Speaker Bio: Senator Kelda Helen Roys is is an attorney, entrepreneur, small business owner, and former nonprofit executive. She represents Wisconsin’s 26th Senate District, which includes most of Madison and several surrounding communities. Sen. Roys is entering her second term in the State Senate, where she will continue to fight for reproductive freedom, economic opportunity, and great public education for every child in Wisconsin.

Workshop Description: Are you interested in serving your community? Do you love the idea of travel, but want to be more than just a tourist and live and work alongside locals in another country? Come and learn about service opportunities like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and how they support community development by providing skilled human resources to areas in need!

Participants can expect: Discussion, Small group work, Verbal Presentation / Lecture, Researching service opportunities

This workshop is offered: PM, sessions 3 & 4 

Content Level: Beginner 

Speaker Bio: Danielle Borneman currently works for MMSD as the College & Career Coordinator, supporting ACP and AVID at the high schools. After graduating from UW-Madison, she served for two years in the Peace Corps in Madagascar as an ESL High School Teacher and Teacher Trainer in the city of Ambatondrazaka. She returned stateside to serve in AmeriCorps as a Volunteer Tutor Coordinator in the Schools of Hope Tutoring program at West High, where she eventually worked as an educator for 14 years.

Workshop Description: In this workshop students will learn about how youth can use history as a tool for direct action. Exploring past social movements and community engagement in Wisconsin and beyond. 

Participants can expect: Discussion, Small group work, Verbal Presentation / Lecture, Q&A

This workshop is offered: AM, sessions 1 & 2

Content Level: Intermediate 

Speaker Bios: 

Taylor L. Bailey is an Emmy-nominated host of PBS Wisconsin’s “The Look Back,”, and a public historian interested in how marginalized people navigate life, seek liberation, and establish kinship. She currently serves as the Assistant Director of the Rebecca M. Blank Center for Campus History, which seeks to enrich UW–Madison’s historical narrative by centering the experiences of marginalized groups.  

Amaya Boman is a former student researcher of Taylor, and a local entrepreneur and community leader interested in how acts of violence impact consumer behavior. She is a real estate agent serving Dane County and South Central Wisconsin, seeking to increase access to homeownership and housing affordability.

Workshop Description: Many of the injustices in our society exist because powerful people with lots of money want it that way. But who creates their wealth? You and your coworkers do. In this workshop, you will learn how to create a labor union, which is how working people come together to take back power and use it to make our world better.  

Participants can expect: Discussion, Hands-on Activity, Problem-solving, Small group work, Movement, Advocacy / Action, Game(s)

This workshop is offered: AM, sessions 1 & 2 

Content Level: Beginner 

Speaker Bio: Robert Christl is the Executive Director at Worker Justice Wisconsin. He and his team of organizers educate low-wage and immigrant workers about their rights and how to exercise them to improve working conditions.