Currently: 41°F
What does it mean to be human? How do we embrace humanness? How does kindness promote humankind? These questions and more will be explored at the free 12th annual Global Well-Being and Social Change Conference hosted at Millersville University on March 20 and 21, available to attend online or in person. This year’s theme is Advocacy for Humankind, and the event will be held in conjunction with the 35th annual Anne Funk Lockey Lecture.
Andrew Slack, founder of Imagine Better Stories, will serve as the keynote speaker for the Lockey lecture on March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Winter Center’s Biemesderfer Concert Hall.
Slack was also a co-founder of the Harry Potter Alliance, later renamed Fandom, where he inspired over a million fans of the popular series to become activists. Through this organization, he had extended this activism past the world of Harry Potter and into other fandoms like The Hunger Games, Superman, and Star Wars. These movements have expanded to over 30 countries, and his work was featured in over 100 major news outlets and has earned him fellowships at Ashoka, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Civic Hall, as well as Millersville University’s Distinguished Civic Leadership Award.
Sessions will continue on March 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Stayer Hall for the conference, where MU social work associate professor Dr. Heather Garvin will serve as the plenary speaker. Outside of her role at MU, she’s the founder of Lone Oak Animal-Assisted Therapeutic and Educational Services. Her talks will center around lessons learned while working with animals in a therapy setting. Those interested in attending can view the schedule here, which includes the full lineup of speakers.
The events are free to attend, but registration is required. Attendees can earn Continuing Education credits for attending the conference for $25.
Register for the Lockey Lecture here.
Register for the Global Wellbeing Conference here.
