Workshops & Presenters

The Civic Engagement Conference features workshops that explore the leadership landscape and designed to offer attendees valuable information -- tools, resources, and reflections from practicioners with experience in the public and private sector.

Joining a workshop: Conference attendees may join a workshop pending seat availability on a first-come basis. Guests are encouraged to attend a different workshop if space is not available.

Facilitator Bios: Read the biographies of the featured speakers - click here

Incorporating Teens in Civic Action: From Concept to Implementation

Faciltator: Stuart Davis, Youth Strategies Manager - NYC Service

How do we move beyond simply inviting young people to the table and instead meaningfully share power with them? This interactive workshop explores practical strategies for incorporating teens into civic action projects from the earliest stages of concept development through implementation and reflection.

Using the NYC Service Youth Action 50 (YA50) initiative as a model, participants will examine the difference between youth presence and youth involvement, identify common challenges in youth-adult partnerships, and learn actionable approaches to support youth-led, adult-supported civic engagement. Designed for educators, librarians, nonprofit professionals, and city partners, this session will provide tools that can be adapted across schools, community-based organizations, and public institutions.

Connection Capital: How to Build Real Influence Through Listening and Care

Faciltator: Natalie Greaves, Founder - Greaves Communication Strategies

This workshop introduces Connection Capital—the relationships, trust, and influence that help leaders create meaningful opportunities and support for themselves and others.

Attendees will learn how to connect with people in ways that matter: by listening closely, solving problems, and making others feel genuinely valued. Using hands-on exercises and practical examples, participants will leave with practical tools to map their networks, strengthen relationships, and turn everyday interactions into lasting, mutually beneficial connections—without gatekeeping or transactional pressure.

Leading Through Mentorship

Facilitator: Cynthia Gutierrez, Director of Mentoring and Alumni Relations/Adjunct Instructor -Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, The City College of New York

Mentorship is one of the most practical tools for building stronger communities because it turns lived experience into shared opportunity.

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore mentorship as a civic leadership skill and learn how to show up as both a mentor and a mentee in everyday life, at school, at work, and in community spaces. Through guided reflection and partner activities, attendees will identify what they can offer others, clarify what support they need to grow, and practice simple micro-mentoring techniques they can use immediately to support individual and community success.

Coalition Building: A Collective Practice

Facilitator: Petula Jarvis-Hanley, Consultant & Community Strategist

This workshop explores the interconnection between Coalition Building, Civic Education, Community Engagement and Leadership. Drawing on the experiences, challenges and impacts of both national and local coalitions, attendees learn practical tools and strategy for building and managing successful community partnerships and coalitions. Regardless of your background as an experienced coalition leader, civic newcomers, or mixed skill participant -- you will strengthen your skills and leave with new energy for the work.

The Role of Libraries as Civic Hubs in the Community: A Conversation with Andrew "Sekou" Jackson

Executive Director Emeritus of Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center

Andrew "Sekou" Jackson shares his thoughts on libraries operating in the civic space and what’s needed to preserve the library as a haven for freedom of expression, free access to factual information, and to serve as a repository of history.

Andrew is Executive Director Emeritus of Queens Public Library’s Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center, and the first librarian and former staff member to serve on Queens Public Library’s Board of Trustees. He is widely recognized for his commitment to the Queens County community and to Black History and Culture.

As a Professor of Black Studies at CUNY - York College; former President of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association; and former Co-Chair of Queens Borough President’s African American Heritage, Andrew will reflect on his 36 years of service and how public libraries can continue to inform and prepare residents to address vital issues and concerns affecting their community, and explore ways for libraries to remain trusted and valued institutions open to everyone.

The Practice of Leading Together

Facilitators: Larissa Vasquez, National Director, Civic & Community Engagement & Maggie Tarbox, Program Manager - Everyday Democracy

Leadership takes many forms, especially in communities where change is built collectively rather than driven by a single voice.

In this interactive session, participants will explore collective leadership as an equitable approach to engaging communities, sharing decision-making power, and strengthening civic engagement. Drawing from Everyday Leaders, a leadership development initiative grounded in real community practice, this session introduces tools that support leadership at every level. Participants will explore how collective leadership differs from traditional models, understand its core elements, and see why it helps shape stronger, more inclusive solutions. They will leave with concrete strategies they can apply in professional and community settings to support leadership that is shared, inclusive, and helps navigate challenges with greater trust and accountability.