With policies in flux and a scarcity of resources, our instincts may lead us to function in silos, narrowing our lens and limiting our collective impact. How can we meet this challenging moment by driving innovation and creating shared success through collaboration? In practice, how can we nurture the goals of our individual programs, while also advancing our citywide mission of improving early career outcomes for DC youth? These sessions focus on practical strategies for partnership and coalition-building that support postsecondary success at the program- and systems-levels.

Proposals Might Explore:

• Effective frameworks for collaboration

• Effective partnership examples across industries

• Cross-program coordination that strengthens impact

The rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the postsecondary and professional landscape - from reshaping jobs and skills, to reimagining how we learn, teach, and advise. How can we strategically and ethically integrate AI into our programs to support students and residents as they prepare for their futures? These sessions focus on best practices, tools, and program models for both teaching AI literacy for postsecondary preparedness and using AI to enhance program efficiency and effectiveness in a world where AI continues to take hold.

Proposals Might Explore:

• Tools and strategies for using AI in human-centered postsecondary advising

• Case studies of successful AI integration in programs 

• AI impact on labor market and career readiness, AI impact on emerging industries and demand for skills  

• Building AI competencies into postsecondary pathways

In a moment where many nonprofits, schools, and training providers are facing limited budgets and uncertainty around federal and local funding, this theme focuses on how we persist in delivering high-quality postsecondary advising, pathways, and preparation for DC’s young people. These sessions focus on creative, practical, and sustainable strategies for continuing and improving postsecondary success work - even when resources are tight.

Proposals Might Explore:

• Low-cost or no-cost innovations in advising, coaching, or case management

• New ways to leverage partnerships to expand student opportunities

• Models for doing more with less while protecting quality and student experience

• Creative funding strategies, braided resources, or operational efficiencies

We hear it time and time again: DC has no shortage of resources; what’s missing is a cohesive system of information sharing. This theme dives into initiatives from all levels of leadership - citywide, organizational/institutional, and programmatic - that exemplify best practices for measuring impact and postsecondary success across the District. Sessions focus on building stronger coordination across our postsecondary success ecosystem by amplifying the innovative data collection, research, and policy already in action in our city, empowering participants to contextualize their work within the broader city landscape.

Proposals Might Explore:

• New research/data and implications for postsecondary advising/success related practice

• Using DC labor-market trends to inform practice

• Understanding what success and quality look like in DC’s non-college pathway programs

• Program-level data indicators and effective progress monitoring systems

As young people in DC today continue to face threats to their mental, physical, and emotional safety, we - as trusted adults in their lives - must build stronger systems of support as they navigate a challenging postsecondary world. These sessions focus on addressing some of our youth’s most pressing needs and explore how schools, programs, and community leaders can create spaces that promote holistic wellbeing so learners can realize their postsecondary dreams, especially young people from our most vulnerable communities.

Proposals Might Explore:

• Protecting undocumented students

• Youth perspectives on today’s challenges in postsecondary success 

• Community partnerships to promote youth safety 

• Solutions for enhancing access to youth mental health services