Engage, Educate, Empower: Men of Color Conference Call for Proposals

Community College of Philadelphia’s 2024 Men of Color Conference is inviting proposals for in-person sessions to be held on Saturday, October 12, 2024. Proposals are enthusiastically welcomed from anyone with an interest in engaging, educating and empowering men of color.

Below you’ll find presentation topics, session types and guidelines. Sessions will be held for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Please read the information carefully prior to submitting a proposal. Students are also encouraged to submit proposals.

The conference invites session proposals that relate to one or more of the three program topics. Please specify whether your proposal will be student-focused or designed for community and educational leaders. Program topics are:

• Communities, Schools and Workplaces—Proposals might address gun violence, mutual aid, forming cooperatives, fighting stigmas, the success gap in our schools, stories of success among men and boys of color, expanding the pipeline into professional careers, navigating high school, making the choice to attend college, choosing a career, and supporting reentry.
• Politics—Proposals might address running for office, understanding political structures, current political efforts in Philadelphia, getting involved in politics without running for office, licensure preclusion for Pennsylvanians with a criminal record, securing government funding to promote access and success.
• Homelife—Proposals might address parenting for teens and college students, balancing school and issues at home; engaging parents in the college preparation, selection and enrollment process; food insecurity, homelessness and other basic needs for our students.

Session Types

Presentation (Student Track or Administrator Track) 
Live presentations are delivered during the conference and can include audience interaction. Proposals should address how the session will engage participants and reserve at least 10 minutes for questions.

Discussion (Student Track or Administrator Track) 
Discussion sessions provide space to engage participants in an exchange of ideas or experiences. These sessions should be interactive and allow for multiple voices to be heard, whether it is structured as a panel or as a conversation with the audience. Proposals should address both the topic and how the session will be facilitated.

Requirements

• Abstract Requirements: Proposal abstracts will be used as the public description of the session in the conference program. Abstracts should be 400 words or less and written in English. In-text citations are not required.
• Submission Limit: Each individual may be listed as a presenter or author on a maximum of three proposals.
• Correspondence: The person who submits the proposal is the primary contact and is responsible for all communications and coordination on behalf of all co-presenters.
• Technology: Computer, projection screens, and audio will be made available for each presentation.
• Scheduling: Your session will be scheduled within one of two time slots based on the event program. Please arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the start of your session for setup and tech checks.

Deadline to Submit Proposals

All proposals must be submitted by Friday, August 23. Presenters will receive a decision on their proposal by Tuesday, September 3.

Selection Process 

Proposal reviews will be conducted by organizers and proposal reviewers who signed up in an open call for volunteers. Final decisions will be based on content and the available time slots.

Selection of proposals will consider the following:

• Relevance of Topic: Proposal relates to the use, practice, creation, evaluation, research, advocacy or critique of at least one conference topic. Stronger proposals will be more timely, original and/or show especially strong alignment with the conference topics and overall theme.
• Value to Attendees: Proposal specifies learning outcomes that will meaningfully contribute to attendees’ understanding of the topic. Learning outcomes are achievable through the session described.
• Quality of Proposal: Abstract clearly and succinctly communicates to prospective attendees what the session will cover. Description aligns with the proposed session type, and responses provide sufficient information to evaluate the proposal’s relevance and value for attendees.
• Diversity: Extra consideration will be given to proposals that support or include diverse perspectives. Diversity encompasses many dimensions, such as racial identities, ethnic identities, Indigenous peoples, languages, geographic locations, ages, persons with disabilities, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and lived experiences.

Please complete the form below to submit your proposal. Please note: If you are submitting multiple proposals, you must complete the form for each proposal.