2024 IDEA Conference “Dressed to the Nines” Tracks, Breakout Sessions, & Resources

• Tracks and Breakout Sessions
• Student Center Map
• 2023 Tracks and Breakout Sessions | Download (pdf)
• ARP Update Keynote Presentation (pdf)
• Solar Eclipse Presentation (pdf)

Getting Connected | CARDINAL HALL A

10:00:	Cradle to Career | Presentation (pdf)
	Presenter: Kelsey Harrington & Kortney Zimmerman Cradle to Career Muncie is a collective impact initiative aimed at overcoming generational poverty in our community by raising the level of educational attainment to better equip and link neighbors to careers with good, living incomes. We are working together to build a brighter future for our children and their community.   Cradle to Career Muncie needs you! Come learn more about this local initiative. In collaboration, we can all work together to improve educational outcomes and create a system that ensures prosperity for all individuals and families.
11:00:	AI: What is it and how it can help you | Presentation (pdf)
	Presenter: Amanda Collins, April Lemen, Daniel May, and Stephen Turbe  In this workshop, we will share the history behind AI, how we use it currently, and what it might be able to do for us in the future.  A demonstration will be provided.
1:00:	Community Solar | Materials 1 2 3
	Presenters: Robert Koester An overview of the potential impact and detailed implementation of community-scale solar installations.

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Neighborhood Association Essentials | FORUM ROOM

10:00:	Building a Relationship with Elected Officials
	Presenter: Cindy Peters This presentation will build on our 2023 presentation encouraging Civic Engagement. It will focus on what individuals and neighborhood groups can do to develop a mutually beneficial back-and-forth with both those in office and those who are running for elected office. It will focus on holding small group meetings, learning the names, locations, and contact information for local and state officials, how to prepare for the meeting and how to handle asking questions. We will show participants how to use Vote411.org and other online resources to research issues and candidates’ responses to those issues.
11:00:	How to Run a Meeting
	Presenters: Mitch Isaacs Meetings are an inescapable part of conducting business and impacting communities. Yet, despite their essential function, many meetings are poorly run and lead to no actionable result.  This in-person workshop will provide practical tools for mastering group meetings.
1:00:	Cross-Generational Communication | 1 2 3 (pdf)
	Presenter: Maggey Parker This training will allow you to grow in your ability to interact with differing generations present in your organization. We will be deep-diving into how to conduct those conversations and adjust messages based on the audience you’re speaking to.

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Inclusive Community Engagement | CARDINAL HALL B

10:00:	Nothing About Us Without Us: Elevating and Celebrating Community Cultural Wealth in Developing Educators and Leaders for the Future
	Presenter: Wilisha Scaife Embark on a transformative journey with us as we share the empowering narrative of a traditionally marginalized neighborhood. In this session, we will dive into how community members strategically mobilized by celebrating and elevating community cultural wealth as an essential framework for education and leadership development. Through the dynamic facilitation of professional development, we animated familial, social, aspirational, navigational, resistant, and spiritual cultural wealth using children’s literature and neighborhood oral history. This approach challenges educators and others to embrace a community-vetted canon, making instruction relevant, engaging deeply, community-responsive, and sustaining. Our model is rooted in authentic practices of reflection, connection, collaboration, and leadership alongside families and communities, fostering a relationship of radical reciprocity. The session draws inspiration from our commitment to sharing our community’s story, an integral part of our workshop curriculum. In contrast to historical omissions, such as the Robert and Helen Lynd’s 1924 study recorded in ‘Middletown: A Study in Modern American Culture,’ where the stories of Black communities were omitted, we are reclaiming our narrative. It’s the 100th anniversary of the Lynd’s visit to Muncie, and today, we are using our stories as a powerful tool to teach others the art of listening, learning, and loving well.
11:00:	Increasing Relationships & Resources & Decreasing Barriers
	Presenter: Dorica Watson Come learn about Open Door Connections, a relationship-based neighborhood initiative focused on increasing resources and decreasing barriers. In our efforts to improve the quality of life, Open Door Health Services has neighborhood ambassadors spending time in the spaces and places where people live, work and play. We are working alongside our community friends, in eight Muncie neighborhoods to build relationships, increase resources and decrease barriers. Barriers include but are not limited to housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, safety, education, insurance, childcare, stress, healthcare services and so much more.
1:00:	Land Banking 101 & Comprehensive Community Development with an Emphasis on Land Banking
	Presenters: Nate Howard & Jeb Reece  The City of Muncie, like many cities and towns across Indiana, is currently grappling with significant challenges. As outlined in the Together-DM, Muncie is grappling with the adverse effects of post-industrialization, economic changes, and decreasing populations. The lack of investment in current housing and the limited construction of new homes have led to an unappealing and less marketable housing inventory. This presents a major obstacle to attracting both households and businesses, further worsening economic and social disparities within these communities. In Indiana, where only five land banks currently operate, this session seeks to underscore the pivotal role that land banks play in urban development. It aims to introduce participants to the fundamental principles, concepts, and best practices associated with land banking. Emphasizing the significance of cultivating multi-organizational partnerships, the session focuses on implementing comprehensive strategies at the block level. Attendees will learn about how land banking, combined with a diverse array of tools, can be employed to address challenges like distressed properties, unhealthy vacancy rates, weak housing demand, an aging housing stock, and significant cost gaps in new housing construction.

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Developing Community Infrastructure | PINESHELF ROOM

10:00:	Building a Learning Cities Culture: The Muncie Community and Lifelong Learning | Presentation (pdf)
	Presenters: Michelle Glowacki-Dudka & Ramo Lordeni The Learning Cities Initiative was developed to address the social, economic, and political norms are drastically transforming and continuously be reimagined. Despite all the good work over the last 20+ years the wealth and education gaps continue to widen. Community organizations and stakeholders can draw upon the community’s history, local culture, and indigenous ways of knowing to understand strengths and bring people together. This session will provide practical ideas and hands-on skills to strengthen community-building skills and lifelong learning culture that would improve the health of Muncie’s diverse and unique neighborhoods. The session participants will be invited to form small groups representing the core team of community members and stakeholders. Through a simulation of the learning city process, they will learn to conduct the initial development steps: planning and involvement. First, they will consider the planning process and decide who to involve in the process. Next, they will use roles to explore the challenges to planning, and how can they create a coordinated structure involving all stakeholders. The simulation will use arts-based activities for community members to express their stories in unique and collective ways. Session participants will develop strategies for an art-based approach for building a lifelong learning culture.
11:00:	Building Civic Infrastructure
	Presenter: John West What does the next level of effective, fun, and meaningful participation with local government in Muncie look like? The session will reflect on the recent Muncie presentation of CivicLex, a “Lexington, KY-based nonprofit civic education & media organization that brings daylight to the issues, policies, and procedures.” On February 19th 2023, the director of CivicLex came and described the work that they do to make local government accessible and legible. This session will consider how our existing neighborhood and community activities might support more information and support for civic engagement with local government.
1:00:	Ignite Generosity: Unveiling Philanthropy’s Role in Strengthening Our Community | Presentation (pdf)
	Presenters: Kallie Sulanke “Ignite Generosity” shines a light on the transformative power of community philanthropy, recognizing the value each individual brings. This dynamic session explores how acts of giving, both big and small, can create a ripple effect throughout our community. Through real-world examples and insightful discussions, we’ll navigate the philanthropic landscape, emphasizing the unique opportunity each person has to make a meaningful impact. Join us in this inspirational exploration, that that focuses on individual acts of generosity, when tended collectively, grow and spark action in the community. Together, let’s cultivate a community where the flame of generosity continues to burn bright, illuminating the path toward trust and lasting change.

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STUDENT CENTER MAP

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