Ignite Social Justice & Leadership Conference
The Ignite Social Justice & Leadership Conference is an annual one-day conference-style social justice program. Students will learn, have dialogue, network and engage in a brave space together.
Fueling Hope: Build, Ignite and Endure
For our 2026 conference, we’ll talk about what it means to start a movement that runs on hope, what activism looks like when it’s driven by hope and how hope helps us keep going when things get tough.
When you participate in the Ignite Conference, you’ll get to hear new ideas, join important conversations and find the confidence to make real and lasting change.
The conference will be held in person on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at the University Memorial Center (UMC).
Objectives
- Social justice education
- Leadership techniques
- Community and cultural engagement
- Resiliency and persistence
- Intersectional identity development
Goals
- To create transformative educational opportunities on diversity and social justice topics for students informed by the intersectional framework.
- To encourage mutual respect, empathy and curiosity while engaging in intergroup dialogue.
- Through restorative justice practices, students will cultivate a community of care while participating in crucial conversations.
- To develop civically conscious students by encouraging them to interact with communities through service, advocacy and activism.
Ignite Conference Schedule
Opening Remarks
- Time: 9:30-9:45 a.m.
- Room: UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom
Build Session
- Presenter:Luz Chávez (she/her/ella)
- Time: 10-10:45 a.m.
- Room: UMC 247
- Abstract: This session explores the hope that comes from the pain of isolation from community. We have a responsibility to tend to our own pain and to the isolation that others experience to be better at organizing for the needs of the communities we seek justice for. In this program, I share my own intersectional relation to isolation and community, analyze the cultural barriers of isolation we face today, constellate stories and strategies drawn from decolonial feminist activism and start dialogues around addressing isolation in our communities, homes and within ourselves.
- Presenters:Michel Jarjour (he/him) and Patrick Simpson (he/him)
- Time: 10-10:45 a.m.
- Room: UMC 382, 384 and 386
- Abstract: Social issues have always existed; yet, more than ever, it feels like they are plaguing every aspect of our lives. One of the most important aspects of good leadership is establishing trust. When that trust is rooted within a community, the people can hope for a better tomorrow. This session revolves around the relationship between trust and hope, and how to build an intentional community, even under the pressures of social issues. Through presentation and activity, the synergy of trust and hope will become clear within our 45-minute group.
- Presenter:Soraya De La Oliva (she/her)
- Time: 10-10:45 a.m.
- Room: UMC 285, 287 and 289
- Abstract: Communication is often treated as a passive and self-serving act rather than the community tool it can be. As a skill that can be built, developed and tailored to specific goals/audiences, it’s important we understand its role in either building understanding and connection or causing misunderstanding and division. Above all, communication is a meaningful way to express yourself and connect with others, but when combined with intentionality, it can become a valuable strength with even greater impact. Thoughtful and integral communication is essential in the realm of social change and is the foundation for hope-driven activism. This session will explore communication as a strategic and intentional practice drawing on concepts of invitational rhetoric and discursive power. We will examine how individual communication styles are influenced by lived experience, power dynamics and cultural norms, affecting whose voices are being heard and shaping the dialogue being had. This session emphasizes the importance of communication that fosters empathy, mutual learning and authentic relationship-building. Participants will be challenged to reframe communication from solely a means of expression to a means of reception, expanding their ability to develop personal perspective and contribute to more meaningful discussions and solutions. By reconstructing traditional views of communication and rhetoric, participants will leave with a stronger approach to building hope-fueled social change movements.
Ignite Session
- Presenters: Aliana Justus (she/her) and Max Moore (he/him)
- Time: 11-11:45 a.m.
- Room: UMC 285, 287 and 289
- Abstract: How do we engage in activism that feels authentic and ignites hope? How do we make sure our good intentions have the positive impact we are hoping to make? In this session, we will explore the differences between different types of allyship and develop strategies that allow us to show up authentically for our respective communities.
- Presenter: Happy Phatak (she/her)
- Time: 11-11:45 a.m.
- Room: UMC 382, 384 and 386
- Abstract: In a world where apathy can feel like self-protection, this interactive workshop ignites participants to transform energy into sustainable, values-driven action. Through guided reflection, small-group discussion and tools like the “Alphabet of the Heart,” participants will learn how to identify challenges, ground themselves and take realistic human-sized steps that allow them to show up authentically and create change without losing themselves in the process.
- Presenters: SarahDawn Hayens (she/her) and Ašiihkionkonci Parker (they/them/awiilwa)
- Time: 11-11:45 a.m.
- Room: UMC 247
- Abstract: What does С Boulder look like in 2051, after we have met our climate goals, and have worked for 25 years to build a campus that honors and reflects a culture that is built on the mission of the Center for Cultural Connections & Community? What evidence do we see in our mundane lives that says we have been about transformative educational opportunities, intersectional identities, personal and intercultural development and are a historical community of scholars that have been committed to service and social justice in action? Using design fiction to create artifacts from the future and other futures literacy tools, we will give ourselves insights into the world we are building. Inspiration will come from Afrofutures, methods of backcasting and examples. No need to be “artistic,” and all disciplines are welcome.
Endure Session
- Presenter: Nicole Laverty (she/her)
- Time: 12-12:45 p.m.
- Room: UMC 247
- Abstract: Social justice is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires time, energy and persistent effort. Without radical self-care, it can be challenging to endure the ups and downs of social justice. Through self-reflection and discussions, we will create our own radical self-care plan and develop strategies for building resilience in our social justice work.
- Presenters: Rezan Algahtani (she/her) and Rafal Algahtani (she/her)
- Time: 12-12:45 p.m.
- Room: UMC 382, 384 and 386
- Abstract: Being an international student brings unique experiences and perspectives to leadership and activism. In this workshop, we’ll explore how hope can be a powerful tool to keep our efforts meaningful and long lasting. Through discussion, interactive exercises and real life examples, participants will learn how to build strong movements, work together effectively and stay engaged over time. Everyone will leave with practical ideas and strategies they can use in their own leadership and activism.
- Presenter: Sonja Bones (they/elle)
- Time: 12-12:45 p.m.
- Room: UMC 285, 287 and 289
- Abstract: As I studied activist movements as a graduate student, the 2016 election was well underway. The practice of learning about ACT UP, Kitchen Table Press and more movements - particularly from the 1980s, a time period we rarely consider as activist - gave me a way to move forward with my own activist work at the time. In the face of incredible losses and devastations, they kept writing, working and living change. Not without sadness, anger, frustration or pain, but with sadness, anger, frustration and pain AND hope. Above anything, I found radical hope—a hope that came from desperation and an overwhelming willingness to do anything to change the forces that oppressed them, that worked against the nihilism I saw around me—in their words and in their ability to melt together their academic work and their activist work. For me, they were, and are, a road map. A road map of language that can help me negotiate the worlds of academia and activism, since I love both dearly, and that can incite change. Even if it is only to spark that radical hope or sense of not-so-alone-ness in others, to fight against apathy and defeat.
Keynote Panel
I am a senior studying sociology and ethnic studies on a pre-law track, with a strong commitment to social justice and community leadership. I have held multiple roles serving my community, including interning at the State Governor’s Office and working with Growing Up Boulder to use grant-funded programs that bring nature to local youth. I also serve as a peer mentor in TRIO and Multicultural Leadership Scholars, supporting underclassmen as they navigate college and build a sense of belonging. Additionally, I am conducting an independent study examining the relationship between social media and underrepresented communities at the University of Colorado Boulder, a predominantly white institution.
Karla is a first-generation, non-traditional student whose lived experiences have shaped her passion for challenging systems that have historically excluded minorities. Her work with social justice has spanned and grown from when she was a PEEP helping with on-campus workshops to participating in protests and community initiatives. Her experience with leadership has been deeply rooted in equity across different roles involved in research, mentorship and public engagement.
I am a peer mentor for a multicultural Living and Learning Community in Hallett Hall.
My experience with social justice work at С has been focused on food and housing security through the Basic Needs Center. I serve on the Events & Education team and also work as a SNAP Navigator, where I am certified to support students in applying for federal food assistance. I am passionate about finding a food system that is more sustainable and equitable for all and addressing structural barriers to access for basic needs in order to improve education about insecurity within our own community. I have also worked through various community and nonprofit organizations to gain a better understanding of policy and justice work, such as the University of Washington’s Environmental Policy Student Association, which I was involved with before transferring to С. I hope to continue my social justice and environmental policy work going into my senior year at С, and I am very excited to be a part of the Ignite Conference this year!
Ash is a disability activist who has been working with the disability community for the past four years. Currently, Ash is working to get disability transportation on campus. They hope to continue their disability advocacy both within and outside of healthcare in their future career.