Propose a Workshop

We’re excited to hear how you can support the student movement for inclusion and social justice.

We invite anyone and everyone to propose their ideas for workshops at YCD events using this website.  Past workshop presenters have included high school students, teachers, parents, non-profit organizations, and others. Read below for information about workshops and what you need to proceed.

Current Calls for Proposals

We are currently seeking workshop proposals for our YCD New Mexico program.

Priority consideration will be given to proposals received before March 1, 2024, though we will continue to accept proposals after this date.

Proposals are welcome on any topic relating to teens succeeding in school or social settings. Topics students in Colorado have identified as of particular interest include:

  • Anti-oppression vocabulary 101
  • Breaking down / combating stereotypes
  • Bystanders, allies and accomplices
  • Microaggressions
  • Conflict resolution
  • Suicide prevention and teen mental health, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • How to have conversations about race and racism
  • Anti-racism
  • Student activism
  • The Black Lives Matter movement, including its history
  • Policing, police brutality, and criminal justice reform
  • Amplifying/lifting up Indigenous identities and voices
  • the Epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)
  • Feminism, including intersectional approaches
  • Gender diversity and pronouns
  • LGBTQ+ youth and related issues
  • Disability justice
  • Decolonizing curriculum
  • Creating inclusive teen sports, athletics, and extracurricular activities
  • Combating Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism
  • Religious diversity and interfaith dialogue
  • Immigration and immigrants
  • Understanding poverty and class differences
  • Cultural performance and artistic expression for social change
  • Post-high school paths other than college
  • How to create change within your school and community
  • Diversity, inclusion, and policy change
  • any other topic you may want to propose for consideration

Core Skills

YCD seeks proposals on a wide variety of social issues faced by teens today. Each program’s Student Board will publish a call for workshop proposals listing specific topics they have prioritized for their conference. Check an individual event page for more information.

Intertwined with these issues, YCD seeks to feature workshops that nurture the following skills and outcomes through the content and experiences (in alignment with our Theory of Change):

  1. Identity: I can define and explain my identity, values and beliefs.
  2. Authenticity: I am proud of my identity.
  3. Perspective taking: I feel that I respect those who are different and show them empathy.
  4. Communication: I feel that I can communicate openly and honestly with others to address social problems.
  5. Conflict resolution: I know I can navigate conflict when it arises with specific strategies.
  6. Collaboration: I feel able to call on allies and accomplices when facing oppression, discrimination or an uncomfortable situation.
  7. Integrity: I hold myself accountable for things I have said and done to others.
  8. Decision-making: I think I make good choices when facing difficult decisions.
  9. Activism: I feel engaged in making positive social change in my community or school.

Timing

Most of our events offer two workshop sessions back to back. You may choose to present during both sessions to reach a wider audience; or you may present during just one session, and attend another workshop during the second session.

Workshops at our events are generally 70 minutes long, with the last 10 minutes reserved for evaluations. Therefore you should plan on having roughly 60 minutes for your content during each workshop session.

Audience

Most workshops will have between 15-25 people in the audience. You may choose to limit your workshop to students or adults only. However, we have found the best workshops are generally open to everyone at the event, and this will also maximize the number of people interested in your topic.

Attendees select their workshops using this website before they arrive on the event day. Keep in mind when engaging your audience that, in most cases, attendees do not already know each other.

Interactive Format

During the workshop you are free to engage your audience in any activities or discussions you would like, as long as it adheres closely to your workshop description. We strongly encourage every presenter to make their workshops as interactive and engaging as possible. Avoid lectures.

Evaluations

YCD will supply the evaluations for your workshops, but we will need your help in administering the evaluations to your audience. We collect and tabulate the evaluations on the day of the event, and will share the results of your evaluations with you via email within two weeks after the event.

Information Required for a Proposal

Our workshop proposal form is relatively easy and broken into several sections to help you navigate it. If you plan ahead, it should only take about 15 minutes to complete a proposal. The form cannot be saved mid-proposal, so we suggest you prepare your information before starting the form. We will ask for these pieces of information:

  • Which event(s) you are proposing this workshop for
  • Title and description
  • Audience (student/adult) and size
  • Audio-visual needs
  • Any costs you charge to present your workshop

You are welcome to propose multiple workshop ideas by resubmitting the form more than once.

Process after Submitting Your Proposal

We accept workshop proposals through this website form only.

Each YCD program has its own Student Board made up of students who meet regularly to make all decisions regarding the event, including which workshops to offer. This group will review all proposals to find those which are most interesting to a youth audience and also suitable to the format of our events. This review generally takes 3-4 weeks after the deadline to submit.

Once the Student Board has made their final decisions, we will notify each person via email whether their proposal was accepted for the event or not.

If your workshop is accepted, the final step in the process is to have any co-presenters register for the event.  We will email you with information about how to register co-presenters at the appropriate time. We require every individual attending our events to register for security reasons, and to ensure we have adequate food, water, and other supplies. This will also help your co-presenters receive email updates from YCD leading up to the event, including directions, schedule, and other notices. If you are presenting your workshop alone, this step is not required and you’re all set until the day of the event!

Propose Your Workshop Idea

Have questions about this process or difficulty using this form? Contact us.