2025 NNSP Annual Conference

In the age of TikTok and Instagram, supporting and engaging students to become educated and involved citizens can be challenging. Many young people believe their vote will not matter and that decisions made by elected officials are not something that they can influence. We still teach kids today the same way that we did 50+ years ago where they go to one room for math and a different room for history and a different room for every other subject, but we live in a world that is more interconnected than ever._x000D_
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We have to meet students where they are and engage them on the issues that matter to them. We need to connect them to the process and show them how to access it so that they can see themselves as engaged citizens. The best way to do that is by actually making kids a part of the process. By encouraging students to work the polls on Election Day, they get to see the process up close. For my students, they quickly realized that the people who came in to vote at our school did not reflect the diversity of our neighborhood and school community. By working with students at the polls, they get to ask questions about the process, the candidates and different roles of all of the elected officials. They get to see first hand how the process works and begin to connect the issues to the process. Engaging kids before they leave high school provides the opportunity to connect them in a way they may not on their own._x000D_
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As a science and special education teacher at a very diverse comprehensive neighborhood high school in Philadelphia, and a degree in both political science and biology, I know all too well how disengaged students can be. Join us for a conversation about engaging students in civics outside of the history or social studies classroom and across a broad range of interests an abilities. Learn how inclusion is possible for students of diverse abilities and the excitement of kids engaging in the process, working the polls and voting for the first time.

This session introduces participants to the world of social entrepreneurship, interweaving design thinking, systems thinking, and the power of storytelling for social impact. Through compelling narratives of young changemakers, participants will learn three key processes for innovation: spotting opportunities in their communities, testing and refining ideas through real-world prototyping, and implementing viable solutions to address pressing social issues. The session empowers participants to challenge preconceived notions about innovation and overcome common myths surrounding youth-led change, emphasizing that age is not a barrier but a unique advantage. Through interactive storytelling exercises and case studies, participants will discover how to harness stories of changemakers and entrepreneurs as inspiration for students to take meaningful action and create lasting impact in their communities.

The 3-part Degrees of Impact series is grounded in NNSP's signature summer programming that has successfully run for the past five summers. The series will guide educators in structuring or redesigning a comprehensive community engagement program. Each session builds on the last, offering a step-by-step approach to align mission and outcomes, repurpose existing programs, and integrate meaningful opportunities into the curriculum.

Part 2: Repurposing Programs and Identifying Challenges
Learn to leverage existing programs within your school to enhance civic engagement and social impact efforts while addressing potential obstacles. Educators will examine strategies to redesign or strengthen current initiatives for greater community impact, using resources from the National Network of Schools in Partnership. This session also offers insights into navigating challenges like resource limitations or stakeholder buy-in.

Young changemakers have unprecedented access to tools that can amplify their voices and turn ideas into impactful movements. This session will equip educators and mentors with strategies to help students harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to secure funding for their social impact projects. From grants and pitch competitions to fellowships and unconventional funding sources, participants will learn practical ways to guide students in using AI tools for research, storytelling, proposal generation, and outreach.

This session introduces participants to the world of social entrepreneurship, interweaving design thinking, systems thinking, and the power of storytelling for social impact. Through compelling narratives of young changemakers, participants will learn three key processes for innovation: spotting opportunities in their communities, testing and refining ideas through real-world prototyping, and implementing viable solutions to address pressing social issues. The session empowers participants to challenge preconceived notions about innovation and overcome common myths surrounding youth-led change, emphasizing that age is not a barrier but a unique advantage. Through interactive storytelling exercises and case studies, participants will discover how to harness stories of changemakers and entrepreneurs as inspiration for students to take meaningful action and create lasting impact in their communities.

In this immersive, hands-on session, educators will explore strategies to help elementary students become "problem spotters"—those who actively identify challenges in their surroundings. By teaching students to recognize and solve real-world problems, educators can increase student engagement, foster deeper connections to the world around them, and cultivate essential skills like agency and empathy. Participants will leave with practical tools and approaches they can implement immediately on their own campuses to enhance student learning and community impact.

In this session, educators will learn about how Dr. Chattin incorporated civic engagement and social justice in a public charter middle school and also an independent school. This model encourages students to take pride and ownership of their local communities in the form of community activism.

The last decade has seen an intensification of three of our roles as classroom teachers: the desire and need to teach civics, including supporting students' curiosity with the political process, the duty to protect marginalised students and uplift silenced voices, and professional responsibility of maintaining partisan neutrality in the classroom. However, the polarisation in the political environment of the past few presidential administrations has made teachers feel as if some of three responsibilities take precedence over the others or -- worse -- that backing away from these discussions is the easy way out. Instead, I will aim to make a convincing case for the importance in helping our students productively engage in civic discourse and embrace their viewpoints, and help to equip teachers in all disciplines to do so safely.

Join the Community Activation team from United to Learn (U2L) in Dallas, Texas to learn about bringing the service learning classroom into the field. In this session, U2L staff will share about its Teen Corps Program to model a practical example of collaboration between private and public high schools actively engaging with a local nonprofit organization to build purposeful leaders and advocates for educational equity. This session will showcase the Teen Corps flexible and differentiated program model to complement varied and diverse educational spaces and audiences. Attendees will also learn about ways to sustain Teen programs by providing opportunities for students to exercise their own agency, influencing the program vision through participation in organizational leadership structures.