2019 National Conference: San Antonio
General Information
- Dates: Friday September 27 – Sunday September 29, 2019. See agenda below.
- Conference location: The Menger Hotel, located in the heart of San Antonio, Texas.
- Invited: ALL program volunteers, staff, leaders, advisory council members, youth and alums, national staff and board members, donors, and other supporters.
- Conference fees: No cost to attend conference, including meals, social events, great workshops, a conference shirt, and swag.
- Room rate: $145.00 per night for rooms with one or two beds.
- Travel scholarships: The Board is allocating $2,000 to help people attend this conference.
- National Awards: We are giving out up to 12 awards on Saturday night at our annual awards banquet, which will be based on executive directors’ submitted nominations. Nominations were accepted through August 31.
Theme: Remember the Mission
Many of you may know that “Remember the Alamo” is a Texan struggle for independence. (In San Antonio, the Alamo is a preserved historic battle site that you can tour right near our national conference location.) We thought it would be fitting to tie in local roots with our own mission of “ending the cycle of youth homelessness.” For the young people we serve, their own plea for independence rings ever so loudly in our ears and mobilizes us to take action. Together at this national conference, we have the ability to keep our own very important mission central to all that we do together. Through the 2019 theme of “Remember the Mission” we shall learn new and old ways to meet our goals and respond to calls for independence, one life at a time.
Register and Book Hotel
Conference Agenda
Please note that the schedule below is somewhat fluied. Highlights include lots of opportunities to meet and dialogue with other people; fewer lectures, more practicing, discussing, and doing; and over 10 hours of programming with session leaders and engaging discussions with time for connecting and truly taking your game to the next level; and several opportunities to celebrate and have fun with one another.
For a detailed conference agenda, please click here. For a detailed Board agenda (Fri 8-3:45), please click here.
- Friday 9/27:
- Board meeting 9:15 – 11:30 (open to all)
- Registration opens 11:00 – 4:30
- Lunch, meetings, and strategic planning with Board 11:30 – 3:45 (optional, for EDs only)
- Welcome Session 4:00 – 5:30
- Reception 6:30 – 9:00
- Saturday 9/28:
- Registration continues
- Breakfast and welcomes
- Sessions with different tracks
- Group photos and activities
- Youth stories
- Lunch together
- Continued session tracks and plenary sessions
- Awards Dinner 7:00 – 9:30 (dress up a bit if you’d like!)
- Informal social time following in hotel lobby bar and in downtown San Antonio
- Sunday 9/29:
- Breakfast: 7:30
- Closing sessions 8:30 – 10:30
- Wrap Up Session 10:30-11:30
- Optional tours and discussions in the afternoon based on desire
Welcome to San Antonio
From the Board of Directors
The StandUp for Kids National Conference is a highlight of the year, and something you will remember for the rest of your life. It is THE biggest effort to bring us together and serve under one big banner. The location of our 2019 conference location will be San Antonio! I trust that you will block off the time and share this info with your program’s volunteers and leaders. We are asking for 100% representation from every program — and we get closer to that goal every year. The energy, the excitement, the connections, and the skills are just too important to pass up! Take this time to plan for it. Other programs will be happy to share how they save and budget and support getting their people to the conference. We’ll see you on September 27th in heart of Texas! — Your National Board.
What to do in town
You will be staying in the heart of downtown San Antonio, and there are many things to do before, during, and after the conference which are centrally located. See this interactive vistor’s guide and this quick “locals” list to help you start your planning.
Additional notes
We are committed to ensuring that our family of volunteers and staff from across the country have opportunities to participate in this conference. Traveling in and out of San Antonio (airport code: SAT) is really easy. Truly, we want to offer you and your teams an unforgettable experience. It’s also a great trip if you wish to bring your loved ones — we’ll help them feel welcome!
Miscellany
Feedback from Past Conference Attendees:
- “The national conference is a great way for the chapters to connect, share best practices ideas, and meet other great volunteers!”
- “Great learning experience and a great opportunity to get to know people I work with.”
- “Alone, I’m but a match in the dark, but with my team, I’m a torch. Let teams across the nation unite and become one torch to shine bright for homeless youth in all our cities.”
- “This National Conference is a must for any leader in StandUp for Kids if we are truly committed to our kids. Meeting and learning how others operate in the same organization with their individual styles is priceless. It gives us other ways to consider when assisting our kids.”
- “It was amazing to be around so many diverse people with one common goal–figuring out how to best serve our kids!
- “A celebration of what we do, where we have gone and the difference we are making among homeless youth. One kid at a time, one day at a time.”
Planning teams
- Conference: Melody Bentley, Bev Caraballo, Adrian Ramirez, Justine Palmore, Greg Smith
- Awards: Teri Burg, Kim Sisson, Eddy Ameen, Juanita Mitchell
- Contracts and Registration: Kim Severini, Juanita Mitchell
Questions or Concerns
Please contact [email protected] or call our national office at any time.