NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

 

Vendor Showcase

During the Virtual Conference, sponsors will have virtual pages on the platform for you to learn more about their products and services. Be sure to visit the pages during the conference.

 

Networking Sessions- Tuesday, May 4, 3:45pm - 4:30pm

Three facilitated networking sessions will take place on the first day of the Building Michigan Communities Conference, May 4th, from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. One of the great benefits of a conference like this is the opportunity to meet with colleagues who share similar interests and concerns, make connections, and build relationships to advance shared goals. The Network Sessions are meant to accomplish this despite the limits imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic: to provide a time and (virtual) space to meet with colleagues informally and chart pathways to collaboration in the future. Registrants for these sessions are encouraged to suggest subtopics for conversation in advance of the conference. If needed, facilitators will arrange for breakout rooms within the sessions for people with common interests.

The three sessions will focus on:

  1. Advocacy. Susan Reed, Managing Attorney for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center will coordinate participants in gathering to discuss specific aspects of advocacy for housing and homelessness services at the federal, state, and community level. Come prepared with questions and ideas you would like to explore with your colleagues either as a full group or in more precisely defined breakout conversations.
  2. Equity. Doak Bloss, former Social Justice Coordinator for the Michigan Public Health Institute, will facilitate participants in sharing their thoughts and challenges on effective ways to ensure a commitment to racial and economic equity in organizational climate, policy, and staff and service recipient relationships. Plenary and/or breakout rooms will be arranged based on the range of interests of the participants.
  3. Meet-up. Carlton Evans, Managing Partner of McDuffie Evans and former microbiologist with the Michigan Department of Community Health, will assist in connecting conference participants who wish to meet outside of workshop sessions to share information and ideas. Participants may use this session to meet for pre-arranged conversations or to discover new colleagues to connect with on any issue not likely to be covered in the other two networking sessions. Prior to the conference, feel free to propose issues and interests on which you would like to connect.