Call For Speakers - Share Your Expertise!
Partners For Change, a Northern Kentucky–based organization dedicated to building stronger, more connected school communities is excited to announce the Call for Speakers for the 2026 Kentucky Statewide Conference, taking place February 23–24 in Northern Kentucky.
We invite proposals from individuals with a wide range of experiences and expertise. Whether you are a seasoned professional in the out of school time field or wish to share your lived experience within your community, your voice matters. We are especially interested in sessions that highlight diverse perspectives, emerging topics, and the latest research impacting the field.
We are prioritizing presentations that:
Foster strong audience engagement
Provide specific, practical tools and strategies
Address timely issues in out-of-school time and family engagement practice
Theme
Game On – OST All-Stars: Playbook to Lead, Learn, and Level Up
This year’s theme invites out-of-school time professionals, advocates, and leaders to dream boldly about the future of our field across the Commonwealth. Together, we’ll explore what’s possible when we take courageous steps forward, think big, and build with purpose.
The conference will provide a forum to reconnect with professional purpose, exchange proven practices and innovative strategies, and gain new insights from peers and experts. Participants will leave reenergized, better equipped to lead, and prepared to elevate the role of out-of-school time in building thriving communities.
Audience
Your primary audience will include more than 200 out-of-school time and youth development professionals from across Kentucky, many of whom are recipients of 21st Century Community Learning Center grant funding through the Kentucky Department of Education. Participants represent all levels of the field, from direct-service staff to program leaders, bringing a wide range of expertise, skills, and years of experience.
Presentations do not need to be relevant to every attendee, but they should be designed to engage most participants and remain accessible across experience levels. If your session is intended for advanced practitioners, please indicate this clearly in your proposal.
Presenter Profile
We invite individuals with knowledge, skills, and expertise to share with their peers in the out of school time field. We are seeking speakers from a wide range of backgrounds, roles, and perspectives—including those with lived experience, as well as representatives from schools, community-based organizations, program coordinators, agency leadership, researchers, and more.
Partners For Change is committed to increasing the diversity of our attendees, speakers, and sponsors. Through this Call for Speakers, as well as other open submission processes and ongoing community dialogue, we aim to highlight voices and perspectives that reflect the communities we serve.
We welcome both new and experienced presenters. A successful session will provide participants with engaging, practical, and actionable professional development. Presenters should be prepared to center participant engagement and deliver knowledge, tools, resources, and strategies that strengthen practice, elevate the field, and build the capacity of professionals across Kentucky.
Key Dates
The submission portal will open on Friday, October 3, 2025.
The submission deadline is Monday, November 10, 2025.
Registration Fees
All accepted presenters will receive a complimentary conference registration. Our conference team will assist you with the registration process to ensure everything is completed smoothly. Please note that presenters are responsible for their own travel and lodging expenses.
Session Types
We are seeking dynamic presenters to share their expertise and provide engaging professional development sessions at our upcoming Convention.
Session Format & Length
Sessions are 45–60 minutes, including time for participant Q&A.
Proposals should incorporate interactive elements such as workshops, hands-on activities, or small group discussions that allow participants to dive deeper into critical topics.
We welcome proposals that:
Offer diverse content, formats, and perspectives.
Provide practical, actionable tools, strategies, and resources for professionals.
Engage participants while centering their experiences.
Strengthen the field and build capacity among out-of-school time professionals.
Conference Alignment
All sessions should connect to the conference theme and the relevant audience of Elementary (primary), Middle (intermediate) or High School), and align with one of the following Session Tracks:
Family Engagement
Meaningful Partnership
Advocacy and Sustainability
Academic Achievement, Social and Emotion Support, Aligning to the School Day & Data-Driven Decision Making
Creating a Positive Culture for Students and Staff
Proposal Review Process
A small panel of reviewers will independently evaluate each proposal based on:
Presenter Qualifications & Delivery – Does the presenter have the expertise and experience to lead an effective session?
Content Quality & Participant Engagement – Is the content strong, well-structured, and supported by interactive strategies?
Session Relevance – Does the session align with the conference theme and address the needs of OST professionals?
You will receive communication whether or not your proposal has been selected.
Important Dates
Proposal Deadline: Monday, November 10, 2025
Acceptance Notifications Begin: November 21, 2025
Ready to Apply?
Click [here] to submit your proposal.
