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Attendees at the 10th Annual Global Well-Being and Social Change Conference at Millersville University will gain ways to advance social equity and address climate change. The conference, April 20 – 22 at the Ware Center, will include a virtual documentary, keynote speakers and collaborative events.
Heather Strohman, Social Work Field Director, explains why this conference is important, “The Learning Institute is dedicated to seeing the sustainable development goals through an action and social justice lens. Global connectedness ensures our awareness of the wider world, sense of our own role as a world citizen, respect and value for diversity and engagement in intergroup dialogue and cultural humility. It is our responsibility as global citizens to foster a sense of urgency toward social equity.”
The conference will kick off on Thursday, April 20, with a virtual screening of “This Changes Everything,” a documentary that focuses on stories of struggle and how taking action against climate change is humanity’s best chance to create a better world.
Friday, April 21, focuses on Global Interconnectedness: Achieving Sustainable Change in an Evolving World in a hybrid format. Speakers and discussions will be held throughout the day that address sustainable development goals. Dr. Amber Sessoms, the keynote speaker, will speak on topics about culturally responsive practices to create a better global community. The closing session will feature playback theatre, a forum for inclusive social engagement and healing, facilitated by the River Crossing Playback Theatre Troupe.
The last day of the conference, Saturday, April 22, contains collaborations with two groups to provide two separate tracks. The Social Justice for Educators Summit will be held in a hybrid format with CR-SE leaders, including Matthew Kay, a product of Philadelphia’s public schools and a founding teacher at Science Leadership Academy. The event is sponsored in part by PA-NAME, The Color of Teaching Mentoring Program, and the Innovative Teacher Prep2Practice Grant from the PA Department of Education.
The Lancaster County Climate Summit, sponsored by RegenAll, is the second track of the day. The summit is in-person and community-focused for concerned citizens and businesses to find ways to increase climate awareness and fight climate change in Lancaster County. Dr. Pedro Rivera, President of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, is the keynote speaker, with Dr. Daniel Wubah, the University’s President, as the closing speaker.
Strohman explains the ultimate goal of the conference is to educate society on ways to promote social equity and to increase awareness of climate change, “We hope that individuals globally and in the local community will come away with tangible action steps to promote change in all aspects of their world advancing toward social equity and addressing climate change. We encourage everyone in the community to participate in the conference to better understand culturally responsive practices.”
The conference is free to all MU students and offered at a low cost to students outside of MU.
Interested in attending? Register here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/3610595/10th-annual-global-wellbeing-and-social-change-conferenceachieving-sustainable-change-in-an-evolving-world-lancaster-the-ware-center
