Check out some of our favorite events and activities!
All events take place at the San Jose Convention Center and the San Jose Marriott, unless otherwise specified. Rooms and times will be posted as they become available. Locations and times are subject to change. Please check your conference program guide, available onsite, for the final schedule.
Wednesday, March 24
Newcomers Orientation
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
New to service-learning or the National Service-Learning Conference? Confused by terms like "thought leader series," "plenary session," and "conference track"? Join us for this informal session, where the mysteries of the conference are revealed. We'll help you get your bearings, answer your questions, and make the most of the conference. A "don't miss" event for first-time attendees.
Opening Plenary Session
4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Join your fellow conference participants to hear inspirational leaders talk about the state of service-learning, service, and volunteerism. What is on the horizon for service-learning? What resources will be available to you? These and many of your other questions will be answered in the opening session of the National Service-Learning Conference.
Exhibit Hall Grand Opening and Welcome Celebration
5:30 p.m.-730 p.m.
When you're in San Jose, you should always have three things — an appetite, your inner artist, and some dancing shoes. Join your fellow attendees at the event that jump starts the conference and energizes you for the days to come. Let your senses be tantalized by the sights, sounds, smell, and feel of the night!
Meet representatives from nonprofits oriented to service and education, companies working with the service-learning movement, and national-service organizations. While you are there, visit the conference bookstore to browse the offerings of relevant fiction, nonfiction, and children's books.
» Learn more about the Exhibit Hall
Learn and Serve America Fireside Chat for past and present grantees, subgrantees, sub-subgrantees, and community partners
7:15 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
We invite all who receive Learn and Serve America funding or work with Learn and Serve to join us for this gathering. Meet others who share your dedication to service-learning and receive important receive important updates on The Corporation for National and Community Service and Learn and Serve America.
Networking Gatherings and Receptions
8:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
These informal sessions provide a chance to network, trade ideas, and socialize with attendees who have similar interests and backgrounds.
- Youth Kickoff: Held in the Youth Room, this is the place for young people to meet and kick off the conference. (Youth only.)
- International Gathering: For international guests and those interested in international applications of service-learning.
- Indigenous Service Forum Reception: A chance to meet the featured speakers for the Seventh Annual Indigenous Service Forum.
Generator School Network Reception
8:15 p.m.-9:15 p.m.
Generator School Network members are invited to a lively reception of jazz and desserts! Come meet the service-learning colleagues you have seen online and create new connections that can be further supported through the coming year. Not yet a member? Join us to hear more about this innovative community of service-learning educators and meet others who are working to improve their service-learning practice.
Thursday, March 25
Plenary Session Featuring Sir Ken Robinson
10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Join your fellow conference participants for engaging speakers and live performances, including a keynote address from Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation, and human resources.
Service-Learning Showcase
Exhibit Hall, 12:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
The service-learning showcase highlights high-quality service-learning projects from across the country and around the world. Talk with people about their projects to learn how service-learning is implemented, how they connected service to their curriculum goals, what impact their projects have had, and what makes them effective. Stroll through the showcase and pick up ideas to take back home.
» Learn more about participating in the Service-Learning Showcase
College Fair
Exhibit Hall, 12:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
Looking for a school after graduation? Colleges and universities from Nashville and beyond will answer your questions at the College Fair. Admissions professionals share information about academic programs, campus life, admission requirements, and the service that takes place at their institutions.
» Learn more about exhibiting at the College Fair
Friday, March 20
Plenary Session featuring Judy Bernstein, Benjamin Ajak, Benson Deng
10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Join your fellow conference participants for exciting entertainment and keynote speeches from Judy Bernstein Benjamin Ajak, Benson Deng, authors of They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan.
The 2010 State Farm® Awards Celebration and Project Ignition Dance Party
6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. State Farm Awards Ceremony
7:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m. State Farm Awards Celebration and Project Ignition Dance Party
Join your colleagues in the service-learning movement as we celebrate the practitioners and young people who have given so much to their communities. Come celebrate with the recipients with food and music.
Calling all youth!
Are you ready to dance? The Project Ignition dance party is back! Join the fun from 8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 27
Join your fellow conference participants for exciting entertainment and keynote speeches at the Service-Learning World Forum featuring Carol Bellamy.
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m.
The World Forum plenary session will include a keynote address from Carol Bellamy, President and CEO of World Learning and former executive director of UNICEF, the children's agency of the United Nations. The forum will conclude with the annual Gathering of Elders event.
Service-Learning World Forum Lunch and Wisdom Teachings: Lessons Learned from the Gathering of Elders
12:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Join us at the close of the Service-Learning World Forum and attend the Gathering of Elders. Community elders have shown extraordinary wisdom and originality as teachers and counselors of change. Their life lessons are contained in philosophies, oral histories, and ceremonies, handed from one generation to the next. Their symbolic connection to the past helps us remember who we are, why we serve, and what we must do to change the world. In this special gathering, elders from five different cultural backgrounds speak from their traditions and life experiences about youth, change, service, and leadership.
