Engage Kentucky Symposium hopes to inspire participation in social justice issues

February 2, 2017

A Feb. 4 conference at the University of Louisville wants to fire people up about participating in social change.

The University of Louisville’s Engage Lead Serve Board will host the second annual Engage Kentucky Symposium 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Bingham Humanities Building.

The Engage Kentucky Symposium is a social change-oriented event that will cover social justice topics including: creating a revolution, the power of social media, racial justice, allyship, sustainability, fundraising/grant writing, collaborative professionals, motivation and inspiration, food justice, storytelling and more.

“I hope people will be fired up about social justice and better understand how to use their strengths to positively impact others, their community and our world,” said Bridgette Hildreth, ELSB’s director of training and leadership. “I want the symposium to evoke lasting and effective inspiration as people move further along the active citizen continuum: from being a member of an organization, to a volunteer, toward being a conscientious citizen and becoming an active citizen.”

The symposium will consist of a welcome reception catered by Panera, a keynote address, several breakout sessions, and lunch catered by Qdoba.

Aeriel and Kyle Ashlee will deliver the conference keynote. The Ashlees deliver keynotes and training that help teams and organizations delve into social justice.

“I think they will inspire participants to leave seeking ways to give back to the community through meaningful ways with the strengths they possess,” Hildreth said.