The IMPACT Conference is the largest gathering of students, administrators, faculty and nonprofit staff who engage students in service, activism, advocacy and other socially responsible work. IMPACT brings these people together to share best practices, build and improve skills, discover opportunities and resources, connect and get inspired to grow and sustain the engagement work they are doing.
The IMPACT Conference was hosted by the Clinton School in 2010, long before I even knew that I wanted to apply to be a student here. This year’s conference was hosted by the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque in late February.
I wanted to build upon my experience with service-learning and volunteering reflection with a Clinton School twist: liberating structures.
In the context of reflection, liberating structures are tools to actively engage every student in the reflective process and to invite all students to participate in a deeper conversation. In the workshop, participants shared their own insights and experiences through practising a few structures and debriefing them at the end. They walked away with a clearer understanding of liberating structures, a closer connection to other conference attendees, new tools they can use in their work, and active practice using the structures.
This was my first time at IMPACT and in Albuquerque, and both were incredibly exciting! It was energizing to be around such a large group of young people committed to making positive change in their communities.
Learn more about the IMPACT Conference here.
This post was written by Clinton School student Mara D’Amico.