"If this world were mine." Moral Courage as a Form of Radical Imagination - A Practice of Believing in and Building What Does Not Yet Exist
Dr. Aaliyah Baker, Amaha Sellassie, Julio C. Mateo, Glenna Jennings, Ashley S. Wright, and Students from the Moral Courage Project
Drawing on immersive fieldwork conducted in Puerto Rico in 2026, this team explores how communities enact moral courage through human rights activism, storytelling, and hope-based organizing. Participants will hear reflections and narratives from activists whose work demonstrates that courage extends beyond resistance to include the moral imagination required to envision just futures. This session demonstrates how moral imagination can inspire community action, equipping people to organize collectively and create new possibilities for justice and belonging.
Auditorium

Aging in Dayton: Challenges of Housing Insecurity Facing Our Elders
Kathy Rowell, Ph.D., Angie Grilliot, Joseph Gebhart, and Dayton Community Members
With changing demographics, lack of affordable housing, and challenges in the Social Security safety net, the number of older adults experiencing homelessness is rising rapidly. Projects suggest that within a decade, there will be more people age 65+ experiencing homelessness than those under age 18. Locally, we are seeing increases in the number of our unhoused elders. In this presentation, we explore the problem, hear from local organizations working to address the issues, and we will brainstorm together ways we can make sure we are an age-friendly community where all belong. Participants will leave with concrete ways they can support the elders in our community.
Alumni Stateroom

The Impact of Cultural Mistrust in Education Work and Identity Politics
Dr. Chad J. Sloss and Dr. Martina Sharp-Grier
Drawing on the work of W.E.B. Du Bois, Frantz Fanon, and contemporary scholarship on cultural mistrust, this interactive workshop explores how trust, identity, and institutional legitimacy shape community formation in educational, workplace, and civic settings. Participants will examine how historical experiences of exclusion influence belonging and engagement while considering identity politics and community membership. Through discussion, ethnographic/phenomenological research, and collaborative activities, attendees will gain practical strategies for fostering inclusive communities and be challenged to reimagine trust, justice, and belonging for all.
The Community Lab

Linking Education Rights and Literacy
Elizabeth Hudson, Esq. and Myla Cardona-Jones, JD
Literacy and educational opportunity are deeply connected. This interactive session explores how understanding and enforcing education rights can improve literacy outcomes for students, families, and communities. Presenters will discuss protections for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, students experiencing housing instability, and those facing barriers to educational access, while examining how education advocacy can help address intergenerational literacy challenges and strengthen community well-being.
Classroom M2225

Shared Sessions

• Building a Culture of Data Accountability in Community Organizations (10:30 - 11:00 AM)
  Yalonda Robinson and Emily Meyer
  Many community organizations collect data, but creating a culture where data informs decisions requires more than technology. This session shares Omega CDC's experience building data accountability across internal programs and its Hope Zone network of community partners. Through practical examples, lessons learned, and Omega CDC's partnership with Mined XAI, presenters will explore strategies for strengthening data quality, collaborative accountability, organizational learning, and the use of data to support community impact and informed decision-making.

• Building a Gem: How GemCity TECH Cultivates Belonging in Dayton's Tech Community (11:00 - 11:30 AM)
  Evelyn Boettcher and Hanen Alkhafaji
  Technology thrives when everyone has a seat at the table, yet the tech industry remains fragmented by skill level, sector, and background. GemCity TECH offers a model for building an inclusive technical community. Its family of free, public user groups, spanning civic hacking, dynamic languages, game development, and penetration testing, welcomes seasoned developers and hobbyists alike. We explore how consistent gathering rhythms and shared space (Dayton Arcade's Innovation Hub) forge belonging among people while they sit at the same table.

Classroom M2300

Defending Rights Through Solidarity: Immigration Justice Work in Dayton
Miranda Hallett, Gabriela Pickett, and Ri Molnar
Despite its commitment to being ‘welcoming’ to immigrants, Dayton faces the pressures of federal enforcement, local negligence, and national political grandstanding. Within this context, community members mobilize in decentralized ways for the protection and care of neighbors, beyond status or national origin, and foster spaces of encounter and solidarity that contribute to social change. Participants on this panel will describe their ongoing and transformative work related to immigration justice, and invite others into the work.
Alumni Stateroom

The Tavern, the Campfire, and the City: Tabletop Roleplaying Games and the Practice of Belonging
Megan Garrison
How can collaborative storytelling help us imagine stronger communities? This interactive workshop uses tabletop roleplaying game techniques to explore belonging, civic imagination, and shared decision-making. Participants will collaboratively build a fictional community through worldbuilding, roleplay, and dice-based storytelling, then reflect on how these practices cultivate empathy, collaboration, and community in the real world. No prior tabletop gaming experience is required.
The Community Lab

Staying Steady in Uncertain Times
Amy Shoko Brown
As a community leader or advocate, some days staying steady and maintaining courage and inspiration is the hardest work of all.  In this session, you’ll learn several hands-on skills for stress relief and emotional self-care. You will also gain enough understanding of the human nervous system to help yourself move away from stress and towards steadiness. Amy will discuss individual as well as group/community ways of nurturing a sense of belonging.
Classroom M2225

Shared Sessions

• Finding Your People Through Service: Building Friendship, Purpose, and Belonging Through Volunteerism (2:30 - 3:00 PM)
  Amanda DeLotelle
  Volunteer spaces can become more than places to serve. They can become modern third spaces where friendships form, confidence grows, and people reconnect with purpose through shared action. Drawing from experiences at local community organizations, this session explores how service fosters belonging and meaningful connection. Whether you're new to a community, navigating a life transition, or seeking deeper connection, discover how volunteerism can become a pathway to friendship, fulfillment, and purpose.

• The Architecture of Sovereignty: Strategic Branding, Identity, and Building Digital Communities (3:00 - 3:30 PM)
  Darshawn Phillip Romine
  A compelling look at the intersection of sovereign branding, strategic identity design, and platform management. This creative showcase demonstrates how formal administrative frameworks and custom heraldic iconography can be leveraged to build, organize, and engage independent digital communities, offering a unique blueprint for modern leaders looking to scale their public presence.

Classroom M2300

Community Libraries Advancing Brain Health, Belonging, and Public Wellness Through Traveling Educational Posters
Brett Hart, Patrick Cousineau, Jessica Sakalas, University of Dayton Civic Scholars and Health Science Practicum Students
The Brain Health Collective's traveling educational poster initiative transforms community libraries and city centers into welcoming spaces for brain health education, belonging, and public wellness. Created through partnerships with University of Dayton students and community organizations, the interactive exhibits promote brain injury awareness, healthy brain practices, and local support resources. The program demonstrates how libraries can strengthen civic engagement, foster lifelong learning, and improve community well-being through accessible, evidence-based public health education. 
Riverview Commons

Moving Beyond Charity: Immigrant and Refugee-Led Community Development Initiatives
Moving Beyond Charity: Immigrant and Refugee-Led Community Development Initiatives
How do we move from a charity mindset to mutual flourishing? Centering immigrants in enriching their own communities reduces racist and xenophobic hierarchies (even those unintentional) and enhances the entire community as immigrants contribute freely. The Miami Valley has several organizations that center immigrants through leadership or community-building practices. This panel presentation will encourage receiving communities wishing to engage in this work to provide appropriate support rather than leadership.
Auditorium

Nurture Safety, Interrupt Harm, Respond to Restore: Group Facilitator Practices
Joy Willenbrink-Conte and Karsyn Williams
As group facilitators, we can and must grow to more effectively nurture safety, interrupt harm, and respond to harm in relational and accountable ways to (re-)build trust and safety. Rooted in Circle, Emergent Strategy, Restorative Justice, and group dynamics in group psychotherapy, this workshop is for facilitators of various groups and collectives. Together, we will reflect, dialogue, interrogate, and practice, centering key facilitation themes such as: access, consent, complexity, time, norms, and more!
Alumni Stateroom

Know Your Worth
Meredith Marks, Anna Jinja Mather, and Pete Mather
Learn how having a “worthy mindset” can improve your own and others’ sense of belonging and inclusion. Moderators Meredith Marks and Anna Jinja Mather will share how having a worthy mindset has created change in their own lives and those they work with. This workshop will explore how you can better connect to your own worth and the worth of those around you. The session will combine lecture, small-group discussions, and an interactive art activity.
The Community Lab

Ranked Choice Voting - A better election method
Chris Anderson
We explain the Ranked Choice Voting Method (RCV) election method and why it is a clear improvement over the plurality election method commonly used in Ohio. The presentation will present election data from recent Ohio and national elections and include an exercise for the audience to conduct its own Ranked Choice Voting election. We will explain how RCV reduces polarization and leads to better representation.
Classroom M2225

Shared Sessions

• You Can Just Do Stuff: Hope as a Practice, Not a Feeling (3:45 - 4:15 PM)
  David Best
  We treat hope as a feeling we must have before we act. In practice, it runs the other way: you act imperfectly, before you're ready, and hope follows. Drawing on a decade of Code for Dayton stories, this roundtable makes a contested case: civic hope is a practice, not a precondition, and "just doing stuff" is how we rebuild belonging and trust. Then we turn the question to you.

• Addressing Barriers to Health Equity through Urban Green Space Visitation Patterns and Accessibility among Marginalized Communities (4:15 - 4:45 PM)
  Chia-Yu Wu, Mason Bradbury, and Mackenna Cristilly
  This study will also feature the administration of a survey aimed at understanding perceived barriers to park access among Dayton’s marginalized populations. We also aim to conduct focus groups with key demographic groups and stakeholders, which will explore barriers to access in greater depth and suggest solutions that FRMP could implement to park policies and practices. Focus groups will prioritize targeting demographic groups facing the greatest access barriers and governmental agencies or non-profit organizations who serve socially vulnerable populations.

Classroom M2300

The State of Black Dayton Report - Resilience and Renewal: Charting the Future for Black Dayton
Nikol Miller and Debra A. Brathwaite, Ph.D.
The 2026 edition of the Miami Valley Urban League report entitled “Resilience and Renewal: Charting the Future for Black Dayton,“ examines progress and documents current trends that affect the lives of Black people in the areas of education, digital access, criminal justice, economic empowerment, housing, and health and wellness. The information presented will help all citizens chart an equitable future for Black residents, which will help all people who live, work, and play in this region thrive.
Auditorium

Dignity by Design: Building Communities So Families Thrive!
John Payne, Alexandra Klug, Debbie Lieberman, and Ernest Mooring. Moderated by Gayle Covington Fowler.
This session frames dignity as more than a matter of personal strength or survival, challenging the idea that families should simply be resilient in the face of structural barriers. It explores how schools, churches, organizations, and civic partners can build family-centered care that protects dignity, supports healthy homes, reduces harm, improves food access, and expands opportunity through shared responsibility, community voice, cross-sector collaboration, and actions that mitigate environmental injustices and create more equitable communities.
Alumni Stateroom

Leading for Belonging: Cultivating Brave Spaces Through Marianist Leadership Stances
George Lisjak, Ed.D., Jessica González Uhlig, Ed.D., and Laura Leming, FMI
Creating communities where individuals feel a genuine sense of belonging requires a deliberate, multi-faceted approach to leadership. Rooted in Marianist principles, this interactive workshop explores how the integration of four distinct leadership stances - collegial, developmental, adaptive, and responsive - can be utilized to build and sustain "brave spaces" for civic engagement.  Through guided case studies and reflective exercises, attendees will leave with a practical framework to foster civic hope and authentic belonging within their own spheres of influence.
The Community Lab

Kinship Keepers
Brenda I. Dewberry and Dr. Beverly Odon
Kinship families provide much-needed care and family-based support for hundreds of young people who could otherwise end up in child protective services or foster care. Kinship families provide opportunities for hope and belonging. Hear from one grandmother as she shares her personal experience with caregiving. Participants will receive a list of kinship care resources following the presentation.
Classroom M2225

TransForming Democracy: How Loving Our Trans Neighbors Is Key to Democracy
Jordan Ostrum
Our trans neighbors are experiencing an unprecedented assault on their human rights. What is going on, and how do we better fight back? In this collaborative workshop, we will explore the means and motivations behind this flurry of anti-trans organizing. We will also harness the voices of local trans leaders and workshop participants to commit to counter-organizing against this hate and for the love of our neighbors. Everyone is welcome to join, but we extend a special invitation to people who may be unfamiliar with the challenges currently facing trans folks who wish to know more.

Classroom M2300

From Roots To Rise: Community Leadership and Collective Impact to Reduce Infant Mortality
Maleka James, MPH, CD, Sophie Ruigu, MA, Denise Hayes-Thomas, CAPD, CLS, CCHW, CPST, CBE, Chantel Lawrence, CCHW
Infant mortality remains one of the most significant health inequities facing our community. We will explore how community voice, trusted relationships, and shared leadership are shaping efforts to address systemic and social factors contributing to infant mortality. This session will highlight lessons learned from building partnerships across nonprofit organizations, healthcare systems, academic institutions, and community leadership. Participants will gain practical examples of how community-led partnerships can advance racial equity, strengthen relationships, and support healthier outcomes.
Auditorium

Wayfinder Scholars: A Community-Led Blueprint for Postsecondary Success
Anaum Virani, Eimaan Virani, Shondale Atkinson
Montgomery County’s unusually high concentration of foster and group-home placements makes foster-youth outcomes a community-wide imperative. Born from firsthand experience across juvenile justice, harm reduction, and foster advocacy, Wayfinder Scholars addresses an often-overlooked exposure gap: resources may exist, but many youth lack the relationships and guidance to access them. Through sustained near-peer mentorship, postsecondary exposure, life-skills development, and community partnerships, Wayfinder builds pathways connecting foster and kinship youth to education, careers, supportive networks, and possibilities beyond the system.
Alumni Stateroom

Mock Congress With Teeth: Going from Practice to Policy Victories
Kevin O'Donnell
The students at Meadowdale are on the cusp of their first major policy victory: adding $30 million to the state budget to bring driver's education back to public schools. This was the result of more than 4 years of writing model legislation, interviewing candidates, and educating the public about their representatives' voting records. Come learn how we translated a classroom exercise into real policy victories.
The Community Lab

Bringing It Home: Better Tools for the People Already Doing the Work
Dr. Christa Agiro, Brittany Katalenas, and Heidi Grove
Brittany Katalenas is a social worker and urban planner who spent a decade administering HUD housing programs before building two companies. Her work runs on continuous feedback from residents themselves, rooted in social determinants of health, so communities can see what their homes and supports are actually producing. Across 3,200 Colorado households, that work cut evictions and abandonments by 90 percent. Dr. Christa Agiro interviews her about bringing that home to Dayton.
Classroom M2225

Shared Sessions

• Life as Worship! Practicing the Golden Rule as Part of Our Shared Future (12:15 - 12:45pm)
  Amaha Sellassie
  Every Dr. King Holiday, a common song sung is We Shall Overcome. Yet this great aspiration is not the driving force of our interactions or how we choose to organize society. This interactive workshop explores the possibility of giving ourselves permission to practice the Golden Rule as our basic shared understanding of how we choose to interact with each other. This can be a step towards cultivating deeper belonging as we act towards our collective hope.

• Beyond the Walls: Reconnecting Faith Organizations and Communities Through Civic Responsibility (12:45 - 1:15 pm)
  Audrey M. Logan
  This session invites conversation about how faith organizations and residents can demonstrate their shared commitment to the communities they call home. This roundtable views civic responsibility as an opportunity to come together, listen, engage, and build meaningful connections. Through dialogue, participants will consider how religious conviction and civic engagement can strengthen community partnerships while fostering a deep sense of belonging and integrity in public life.

Classroom M2300

Bridging Justice and Family: A Collaborative Approach Between the Public Defender and Other County Partners
Nikole Xarhoulacos, Dr. Michael Newsom, Judge David Brannon, and Judge Gerald Parker
This presentation will highlight the development of a free legal clinic for noncustodial parents, efforts to connect families with critical resources, and strategies that promote stronger, safer communities. The session will examine how these cross-agency collaborations were established, the key stakeholders, and the practices that have sustained these partnerships over time. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for building and maintaining collaborative initiatives that improve access to justice and create lasting community impact.
Auditorium

The Inaugural Experience of Character Champions in Higher Education
Dr. Rachel Sturm, Dr. Patrick Sonner, Dr. Josh Gilliam, Dr. Lucile Wrenshall, and Catherine Hernandez Hogan
Join members of Wright State's inaugural Character Champions cohort as they share their experiences participating in a character-based development program designed to strengthen personal growth, workplace effectiveness, and campus culture. Through a panel discussion, participants will discuss insights gained, character strengths they are intentionally developing, and initiatives they plan to implement within their units and student-facing roles. Learn how investing in character development can foster stronger communities, enhance collaboration, and positively influence student success.
Alumni Stateroom

Our Voices Our Rights Our Future - A Community Working Session and Conversation
Tara Campbell and Tony Talbott
Participants will engage with two historical reports shaping Dayton’s human rights journey: the "2026 Community Voices: Dayton Human Rights Report," developed by Dayton United for Human Rights, and the "Human Rights Assessment" by Dignity Index Global, conducted following the Dayton Commission’s 2023 commitment to become a Human Rights City and DUHR’s call for a self-assessment. Together, these reports generated nearly 200 recommendations. Participants will assist in beginning to set priorities and implementation plans. 
The Community Lab

Defining Access through Data and Process to Improve Community Outcomes
Jishnu Muralidharan Nair
As demand for safety-net services continues to grow, free clinics must do more with limited resources. This session explores how data, operational metrics, and process improvement can increase access, improve accountability, and strengthen community outcomes. Using real-world examples from Good Neighbor House, attendees will learn how dashboards, KPI tracking, and structured operational reviews help organizations serve more patients, reduce inefficiencies, and make better mission-driven decisions.
Classroom M2225

Hope grows H.E.R.E: Developing Civic Character Through Service-Learning Community Mentorship and Local Resource Exchanges
Professor Jennifer McDermott, Sid O'Brien, and Student Panel
Higher Education Resource Exchange, or H.E.R.E., is an experiential learning program that connects students, colleges, and community partners through reciprocal service-learning. Students learn directly from local organizations, then return that investment through community-based service. This session explores how H.E.R.E. builds civic character, practical resource knowledge, mentorship, and community connection while helping institutions move beyond one-time service or donations toward sustained exchange that supports students, partners, and the broader community.

Classroom M2300

Building Community Voice: Lessons in Civic Engagement and Advocacy
Kelsie Harmer, Jada Palma, Porothea Dennis, Shirley Williams, Lyn Rivera, and Chris Raines
Many nonprofits want to advocate for their communities but struggle to know where to begin or what’s allowed. Following a professional development day hosted by the Montgomery County Two-Generation Collaborative (2Gen), this session will share lessons learned, strategies for building advocacy capacity, and resources shared with organizations grappling with advocacy. A panel will feature residents and nonprofit leaders discussing their civic engagement experiences, barriers they faced, and practices that fostered meaningful community partnership and action.
Auditorium

The Village Mentor Model - 'Rethinking Support for Our Most Vulnerable Students'
Jane McEwen, Charlotte Saddler, Gabrielle Durant, Christine Pruitt, Chinequa Taylor, Arianna Rosario-Mata, and Hubert Matumaini
Join Jane McEwen, DPS Mentor Coordinator with over 30 years of experience as a mentor practitioner, and a panel of experts from foster care, justice-involved youth, and McKinney-Vento homeless services for an overview of Dayton Public Schools' Village Mentoring Program. Discover how Dayton Public Schools’ innovative "village" ecosystem is designed to empower and unify specialized support for underserved students. Attendees will explore this collaborative framework through interactive activities, engaging discussions, and practical insights to empower our most vulnerable youth toward success.
Alumni Stateroom

Date Your Therapist: Reimagining Mental Health Access as a Tool for Civic Belonging
Ashley N. Browning
Finding the right therapist can be one of the biggest barriers to accessing mental health care. This session explores "Date Your Therapist," an innovative, community-centered model that connects individuals with therapists in a low-pressure, relationship-building environment. Participants will learn how this approach reduces stigma, fosters trust, and strengthens civic belonging by making mental health care more accessible and person-centered.
The Community Lab

Facilitating Through Friction: Navigating Resistance to Sustain Civic Hope
The Dialogue Zone
In an era of intense polarization, building civic hope requires an intentionally planned space. This interactive, 60-minute workshop demystifies the mechanics of tension in public discourse. Facilitators from the Dialogue Zone will demonstrate how physical setup, co-facilitation, and carefully scaffolded questions drive engagement. Attendees will learn how to integrate "mini-dialogues" into standard discussions and debates to sharpen communication skills under pressure, leaving with a practical toolkit to navigate resistance.
Classroom M2225

Collaboration among Contamination: Community, city, and higher ed partnership in Behr-Dayton’s VOC Plume
Jerry Bowling III, Jennifer Evans, Niani Brown, Mackenna Cristilly, and the University of Dayton River Stewards Senior Cohort
Revolving around the Behr Dayton VOC Plume Superfund site, residents, city staff, and students will reflect on projects and partnerships stemming from the contamination. Beginning with introductions to the community residents and organizations leading the charge, their efforts in organizing and educating, and the partnerships they’ve cultivated. Then, hear from two partners, the City of Dayton Office of Sustainability and the UD River Stewards, and their projects connected back to the community and plume.

Classroom M2300