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Conference
2024 Catalyst Annual Conference: Activating Power
Thursday, September 12 @ 8:00 am - 5:30 pm
Nonprofit tickets for this conference are now sold out. If you are interested in attending, please join the waitlist here and we will notify you if additional spots become available.
Behind theories and logic models is the doing that makes up the real work of social change. The 2024 Catalyst Annual Conference Activating Power: Moving from Theory to Action is for anyone hungry to close the strategy slides tab and get to work.
From practical tools for building strong community relationships to new methods for harnessing your inner strengths and redefining organizational capacity, our sessions will provide you with actionable insights to translate your vision into effective, transformative action. Join us as we break down big ideas into practical steps and adaptable practices that have the power to change the landscape of funding in California’s Southern Border Region.
The Magnolia, a theatre in the heart of East County, is the backdrop for this year’s gathering. We cannot wait to fill it with the signature energy of a Catalyst conference, complete with immersive breakout sessions, local flavors, and lasting connections sparked through our time together.
Catalyst is committed to making our events accessible to everyone. Please let us know how we can help you fully participate at our conference by contacting Melissa Leon at [email protected] or (858) 875-3334.
Visit the Session tab for more information on each breakout session.
8:00am: Registration & Breakfast
9:00am: Omo Aché Afro-Cuban Music & Dance Co and Welcome
9:10am: Traditional Bird Song with Dr. Paul Cuero and Kumeyaay Bird Singers
9:30am: Activating the Power of Creativity: Craftivism in Action with Katie Ruiz
10:15am: Spoken word performance with Kelsey Daniels
10:25am: Activating Community Power: The Path to Building Authentic Relationships
11:40am: Nancy Jamison Fund for Social Justice announcement
11:50am: Laotian dance performance with Dok Kulap
12:00pm: Lunch
- Curated vendor market
- Live music
- Connection with peers
1:15pm: Afternoon breakout sessions:
- Activating Resource Power: Creating Strategic Partnerships for Community Impact
- Activating Organizational Power: Strengthening Nonprofits for Transformative Change
- Activating Your Superpowers: Unleashing Collective Possibilities for Social Change
3:15pm: Activating Individual Power: Beginning from Within with Dr. Novien Yarber
3:45pm: Closing remarks
4:00pm: Closing performance by transenDANCE
4:15pm: Reception
Visit the Speakers tab for more information on who will be speaking in each breakout session.
MORNING PLENARY
Activating Community Power: The Path to Building Authentic Relationships
Building meaningful relationships with communities, especially those new to you, can be hard. Relationship building requires more than just understanding partners’ challenges and aspirations: it involves engaging with their work, values, and realities. During our plenary session, we will explore practical strategies for creating and maintaining relationships that foster genuine dialogue. How do you connect and understand the work that uplifts these communities? What does it take to navigate power dynamics and establish trust? Whether reconnecting with long-time partners or working with new ones, you will leave this session ready to deepen your relationships with intention and authenticity.
afternoon sessions
Activating Resource Power: Creating Strategic Partnerships for Community Impact
Creating transformative spaces and opportunities often requires substantial investment: we are currently at a pivotal moment with historic public investments at stake, but these funds often fail to reach the communities that need them most. During this session, participants will hear from four organizations that have embraced innovative partnerships, including public-private collaborations, to drive significant change within their organizations and communities.
Through engaging small group discussions, participants will explore how these organizations have harnessed creative partnerships to secure transformative resources. Join this session to gain new perspectives on how we can think beyond conventional frameworks to develop impactful solutions.
Activating Organizational Power: Strengthening Nonprofits for Transformative Change
As the challenges nonprofits face evolve and become increasingly complex, traditional capacity-building approaches often fall short. This session will explore transformative capacity-building through an equity lens, centering the voices that have been historically excluded. Participants will learn how to move beyond deficit-based models towards systems that recognize and build on the strengths of nonprofit partners. By challenging conventional ideas of who defines capacity and how it is developed, we can move toward more innovative, impactful, and sustainable solutions.
Activating Your Superpowers: Unleashing Collective Possibilities for Social Change
It is easy to feel powerless when working within the nonprofit industrial complex, but inside each of us is a fire that can be activated to create meaningful, sustainable change. This session will focus on finding our “superpowers” and where they can be activated, on the personal, interpersonal, or organizational levels. Participants will explore strategies to match their actions to their beliefs to create micro and macro impacts, regardless of title or position. Through guided discussions and collaborative spaces, attendees will leave this session with a renewed sense of purpose and practical steps they can take to start their journey. Join this session to have fun, think outside the box, and harness your inner badass.
Access full speaker biographies here.
Performers
dok kulap
Laotian Dancers
Omo Aché Afro-Cuban Music & Dance Co
Afro-Cuban Drummers
KELSEY DANIELS
Artist & Organizer
LOS TRIPSTERS
Modern Hippie Rock Band
transcendance
Youth Dance Group
Activating the Power of Creativity: Craftivism In Action
Katie Ruiz
Craftivist
Activating Community Power: The Path to Building Authentic Relationships
moderator: LAUREN j. mapp
Co-Founder of Daylight San Diego & Freelance Reporter
Jacqueline Bravo Estrada-Mercado
Founder & CEO of Best S.T.E.P. Forward
Farida Erikat
Youth Programs Manager at The Majdal Community Center
Joey Williams
Senior Program Manager at The California Endowment, Power and Infrastructure Team – Native Power Building
Activating Resource Power: Strategic Partnerships for Community Impact
Daniela Alvarado
Chief Operating Officer at The Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA)
DR. noori Barka
Founder of Chaldean Community Council
Jacob Alvarado Waipuk
Chair of Tribal Relations, Tribal Liaison, Division of Diversity and Innovation
Jolyana Jirjees
Director of Chaldean Community Council
Janice Luna Reynosa
Founder of Mundo Gardens
RAMLA SAHID
Executive Director at Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans
Activating Your Superpowers: Unleashing Collective Possibilities for Social Change
Alice Y. Hom
Executive Director of CHANGE Philanthropy
Marisa Aurora Quiroz
President and CEO at the International Community Foundation
Activating Organizational Power: Strengthening Nonprofits for Transformative Change
Dr. Adriana Loson-Ceballos
Founding Co-Owner of Colmena Consulting
Activating Individual Power: Beginning from Within
Dr. Novien Yarber
Senior Learning Officer at The Prebys Foundation and Senior Research Associate at The Nonprofit Institute
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