Events
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Welcome
David A. Dik, National Executive Director, Young Audiences, Inc. Molly Casey, Board Chair, Think 360 Arts for Learning
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Plenary Session Keynote Speaker
Jeremy Anderson, President, Education Commission of The States, a national policy organization that serves as a partner to state policymakers.
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Registrant Check-In
Second Floor Mezzanine - Westin Wash., DC City CenterFind us on the Mezzanine Level, one floor up from the lobby.
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YA on the Hill
US Capitol BuldingThis offering is not included as part of general registration.
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Networking Happy Hour
1400 N & Terrace - Westin Wash., DC City Center 1400 M St NW, Washington, DC, United StatesJoin colleagues at 1400 N & Terrace, on the second floor of the Westin.
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Session A1. RAISE Action Research Poster Session
Ballroom CResponsive Arts in School Education (RAISE) is a program of Young Audiences National, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Now in its fifth year, RAISE has reached over 50,000 students across 19 cities. Join RAISE teaching artists from across the country as they share what they’ve learned.
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Session A2. Advocacy in Action: From Capitol Hill to Community Impact
Ashlawn NorthWhether you joined colleagues on Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress or are looking to strengthen your advocacy voice from your community, this interactive session will help you turn inspiration into action. We will unpack the roles of federal, state, and local governments so you can better understand where and how your voice makes an impact.
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Session A3. Telling Our Story Together: Community-Centered Models for Arts Learning
Ballroom AThis session examines how Young Audiences of Louisiana (YALA) centers community voices, culture bearers, and lived experiences to deepen professional development and arts learning.
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Session A4. Honoring the Past, Activating the Future: Engaging Alumni as Leaders, Mentors, and Lifelong Advocates
Ashlawn SouthAlumni stories illustrate the long-term impact of programs like ArtWorks and inspire stakeholders to invest in sustainable leadership pathways. By highlighting alumni as mentors, leaders, volunteers, and donors—not just storytellers—organizations create multigenerational alliances across the youth arts ecosystem.
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Thursday Lunch
National Ballroom - Westin Wash., DC City Center 1400 M St NW, Washington, DC, United StatesLunch will be plated. If you have dietary restrictions, please ask us for a card!
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Session B1. Expanding the Narrative: The PD/Residency Model
Ballroom CIn this session, the presenters will give an overview of the model in which staff in schools or school districts participate in professional development training combined with a residency, share an arts integrated activity, and have attendees reflect on how they can implement the same strategy.
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Session B2. Lessons Learned Through Dance: The Impact of Our RAISE Program Grant
Ashlawn SouthThis session offers an inside look at a RAISE dance residency for elementary students in a school without an existing dance program. It will explore the project’s approach, the stories that emerged from both students and the teaching artist, and the impact these narratives had on the school community.
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Session B3. The Odd Couple: Data Collection and Arts Education
Ashlawn North“Data” doesn’t only mean test scores, it’s about impact, it’s about holistic student experience. This session is in response to the oft-clerical evaluations, and how it doesn’t need to be like that all of the time.
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Session B4. What Story Are We Telling? Reimagining Narratives Through Youth-Centered Practice
Ballroom AThis session invites participants to examine how power, identity, and narrative shape the ways youth stories are created, shared, and remembered. Participants will be guided toward practices that ensure young people are not only heard, but positioned as co-authors of the stories that define their communities.
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Session C1. Migration Stories
Ashlawn NorthThis session explores how centering personal narratives—particularly those of migrants—shapes what stories are told, how they are understood, and how they are shared. Based on a RAISE classroom experience with a newly arrived student from Venezuela, the workshop demonstrates how artmaking can become a bridge for communication when language poses a barrier.
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Session C2. I Will… Centering Youth Voice in Storytelling
Ballroom AIn this interactive, youth-led session, Bloomberg Arts Interns invite participants to examine the guiding question: Which voices are centered in our stories, and how does this impact what is told, how it’s received, and how it’s retold and shared? Participants will experience firsthand how these activities foreground student agency, strengthen authentic storytelling, and reshape how arts educators represent young people in narrative, fundraising, and program reporting.
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Session C3. Soul of Langston: Crafting Community Narratives Through Arts and Humanities
Ashlawn SouthThis session explores how centering marginalized voices transforms arts education and community engagement. Attendees will gain practical strategies for integrating narrative into arts learning, including a replicable framework for community workshops, tools for measuring impact, and approaches for building sustainable partnerships.