​​​​​Dates & Location

• Dates: July 30 – August 1, 2025
• Location: Keystone Conference Center, Keystone, CO
• Registration Deadline: Registration has officially sold out

DAY 1Wednesday, July 30

Framing the Moment & Setting the Stage

Kick off with Flash Talks (TED-style presentations) and a keynote conversation to set the tone. Afternoon Poster Sessions and Capacity Building Workshops provide hands-on learning and real-time collaboration. The day concludes with wellness activities and social gatherings to foster meaningful connections.

DAY 2Thursday, July 31

Interactive Learning & Collective Strategy

An interactive plenary prioritizes audience participation and real-time dialogue. Afternoon Poster Sessions and Capacity Building Workshops deepen learning, while movement-based activities and networking spaces sustain engagement. The evening closes with a celebratory gathering filled with music, movement and community.

DAY 3Friday, August 1

Turning Ideas into Action

A day of practical application and strategy, featuring workshops that refine advocacy efforts, explore sustainability solutions and strengthen long-term planning. The event closes with a keynote session, offering reflections and next steps to sustain momentum.

DAY 1Wednesday, July 30

Fortify the Core—Truth, Power and Purpose We open the Symposium by strengthening the core of our work: clarity, courage and collective purpose.

In the face of rising disinformation and fractured public discourse, we’ll sharpen our tools for policy advocacy, build new skills and deepen our capacity to organize around equity and justice. We’ll explore durable strategies for justice while staying anchored in shared truth and bold vision.

Mainstage Fireside Chat: Truth, Power & the Role of Narrative in Democracy

Featuring Joy-Ann Reid, National Political Analyst & Commentator, in conversation with Karen McNeil-Miller, President and CEO, The Colorado Health Foundation

In this opening-day conversation, renowned journalist and political commentator Joy-Ann Reid and CEO of The Colorado Health Foundation, Karen McNeil-Miller, explore the urgent intersection of truth, equity and narrative in our democracy. Together, they’ll unpack the role of media, movement-building and philanthropy in protecting democratic values, advancing racial and social justice and reshaping the public square in Colorado and beyond.

Other Day 1 Highlights:

• New! Poster Sessions Open: Engage directly with leaders from across Colorado as they share bold, innovative solutions and invite dialogue around real-world challenges and strategies.
• Capacity-Building Workshops: Build advocacy and communications strategies to meet the urgency of this moment.
• Evening Welcome Reception: Engage and reconnect with peers and enjoy the beauty of Keystone in a relaxed setting.

DAY 2Thursday, July 31

Shift the Story—Narrative Power for a Just Colorado

Narratives don’t just describe reality, they define what’s possible. Day 2 focuses on how to reclaim the narrative, counter harmful stories and tell authentic, community-rooted truths. We’ll explore how to influence public perception, reframe dominant narratives and tell truer stories about who we are and what we deserve.

Mainstage Fireside Chat: Rewriting the Narrative—Belonging, Power & Possibility

Featuring José Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize–Prize-winning journalist & Founder of Define American, in conversation with Jazmín Chávez, Community Leader & Advocate, and David Breña, Trans Rights Leader & Colorado Organizer

Nationally, immigrant and trans communities are navigating a rising tide of legal attacks, distorted narratives and targeted disinformation challenges that threaten both safety and belonging. In this timely and powerful fireside chat, José Antonio Vargas will share insights from across the country on how storytelling, media and movement work intersect in the fight for truth and dignity. He’ll then moderate a conversation with two Colorado leaders—Jazmín Chávez and David Breña—on what it means to push back against harm, build cross-movement solidarity and shape a future where everyone can thrive.

Other Day 2 Highlights:

• Poster Sessions Continue: Engage directly with presenters to learn practical, transferable solutions.
• Capacity-Building Workshops: Deepen skills in narrative strategy, organizational sustainability, and policy impact.
• Evening Celebration: Unwind with music, dancing, and spontaneous joy—you’ve earned it!

DAY 3Friday, August 1

Sustain the Work as a Force for Change

Movements are not only built on strategy but on soul. As we close the conference, we turn to what sustains us—radical love, courageous storytelling and aligned action–for our communities, our movements and ourselves. Let this be our charge: to resist burnout, reclaim joy and lead forward with fierce compassion.

Closing Keynote: Revolutionary Love as Strategy for Social Change

Featuring Valarie Kaur, Civil Rights Leader, Lawyer, Filmmaker & Founder of the Revolutionary Love Project

As we conclude our time together, Valarie Kaur offers a galvanizing vision for the road ahead, one rooted in revolutionary love as a powerful practice for social change. Drawing on her work at the intersection of law, storytelling and activism, Valarie will speak to the urgent need for nonprofit leaders to ground their policy advocacy, narrative change and organizational sustainability in love—love for others, for our opponents and for ourselves. In a time of burnout and polarization, her message calls us to reimagine our work not only as resistance but as a long labor toward justice, wholeness and belonging. Leave inspired, renewed and ready to lead with fierce compassion.

Other Day 3 Highlights:

• Final Poster Session Engagements
• Closing Reflections and Community Gathering: Take time to celebrate, connect and prepare for the road ahead.
• Personal Renewal in Keystone’s Natural Beauty: Before you leave, breathe in the Colorado mountain air and reflect on the purpose and power you’re taking home.