Please choose ONE morning session to attend:
Session #1: "Centering the Margins: Reclaiming Voice, Dignity & Equity Through Lived Experience and Advocacy" featuring Talib Z. Abdullah, LMSW , ACCESS of WNY
Explore how lived experience can drive equity-centered advocacy and program design. This session uses storytelling, peer dialogue, and hands-on equity-mapping to help participants examine power structures, build authentic partnerships, and learn from ACCESS of WNY’s journey in creating culturally rooted, trauma-informed programs.
Session #2: "Change or Charity? Meeting This Moment" featuring Larry Marx, The Children's Agenda, Cheryl Wearen, The Children's Agenda Board member
Federal policy shifts are reshaping healthcare, education, and the social safety net—but nonprofits and philanthropy can move beyond defensive strategies to drive structural change. Through real-world examples and dialogue, participants will explore how to organize affected communities, influence policy, and shift advocacy from despair to hope.
Session #3: "Carrying Stories with Care: Trauma-Informed Advocacy" featuring Megan Battista, MSW, LiftOff WNY and Regine Ndanga, LMSW, Partnership for the Public Good
People with lived experience bring essential expertise to advocacy, but without trauma-informed practices, inclusion can slip into tokenization or harm. Grounded in personal perspectives from foster care and immigrant communities, this session introduces a framework rooted in safety, trust, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural humility—equipping participants with tools to engage lived experience as leadership in ways that are both equitable and protective.
Session #4: "Demystifying a Shared Space Model: Going Farther Together Through a One-Stop Human Services Hub" featuring Care Management Coalition
Shared space and resource models can transform how nonprofits deliver services—whether by co-locating providers in one hub or sharing back-office supports across agencies. This session highlights the Care Management Coalition of WNY’s collaborative center, where families can access multiple services without navigating separate agencies, and shows how non co-located partners can still benefit from shared programs and supports. Panelists will share the history, structure, and lessons learned from building this model, along with strategies for joint funding, coordinated programming, shared professional development, and collective talent pools. Participants will leave with best practices, real-world challenges, and a roadmap for how shared space and collaboration can reduce competition, strengthen the sector, and create lasting collective impact.
Session #5: "Lessons from the Movement: Applying Local Civil Rights History to Contemporary Challenges" featuring
Shane Wiegand and Syd Bell, Co-Directors of Our Local History
Progress toward equity is rarely linear—instead, victories are often followed by backlash that undermines change. Using local case studies, historical records, and oral histories from Western New York, this interactive session invites participants into dialogue about the cyclical nature of resistance to civil rights. Attendees will gain tools to anticipate obstacles, frame advocacy with historical insight, and strengthen long-term strategies for justice and equity today.