Call for Proposals - Power Up Youth Leadership Conference

This is an amazing biennial conference sponsored by the UW-Madison iSchool specifically aimed at youth librarians. It attracts not just in-state attendees but participants from around the country.  What leadership topics would YOU like to pitch? The deadline for proposals is August 3! Read on:

Power Up: A Leadership Conference for Youth Services Managers and Staff

March 24-25, 2022 | Madison, Wisconsin

Conference theme: Leading Toward Inclusion

 

About the Conference

Are you an intentional leader? Do you want to share your passion for strategic planning, collaborative partnerships, or ethical staff engagement? Can you help other youth services professionals solve problems and be more productive? Are you searching for a way to network with other professionals and raise your profile?

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Information School is pleased to offer the third Power Up Conference to share your exciting ideas! The conference will take place in Madison, Wisconsin on March 24-25, 2022. The program committee will accept proposals until August 3, 2021.

 

Priority will be given to topics that include, but are not limited to: 

• strategic planning, 

• collaborations, 

• inclusive community partnerships, 

• ethics, 

• leadership pathways, 

• just and equitable services, 

• advocacy, 

• mentorship, 

• managing change, 

• work/life balance, 

• staff motivation,

• innovative services

We invite proposals from public libraries, schools, after-school programs, museums, and similar community organizations that work with children and teens.

Do you need travel funding in order to attend this conference to speak? We are awarding 3-5 speakers travel funding to help defray costs! More information here. Additionally, all selected proposals will receive one complimentary conference registration, which may be divided however the presenters of that session choose.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Statement

Presenters from historically underrepresented groups are encouraged to submit proposals. We welcome presenters representing a variety of personal and professional backgrounds, perspectives, and voices. We encourage submissions from anyone who is interested in presenting, including students, new professionals, first-time presenters, and representatives of allied professions. 

How to submit a proposal

Submission form

Please use the submission form to send in your proposal by August 3, 2021. You will need to include a 200-250 word description of your session as part of the form. You may optionally include a sentence or two about how this proposal aligns with our diversity, inclusion and equity statement outlined above. Finally, any speaker may choose to self-identify as a member of a historically underrepresented group in the submission form.

Sessions with multiple presenters are accepted. All selected proposals will receive one complimentary conference registration, which may be divided however the presenters of that session choose.

Note that the proposal will not be the finalized description for the conference program; the committee will contact selected proposal submitters for a final draft. Sessions at the conference will be approximately one hour. 

Proposal Evaluation

The committee will evaluate all of the submissions as individual entries, and how they fit within the balance of conference content as a whole. The Program Committee will evaluate all proposals submitted by the deadline using the following criteria:

• Clarity and completeness of the proposal, particularly having well-developed content and sufficient speakers to address all relevant aspects of the topic;

• Originality and relevance of the proposed topic;

• Uniqueness of content in relation to other conference presentations;

• A range of speaker experiences and representations