"CitizenFEST: Dallas" is a festive learning summit on how to exercise civic power, hosted by Citizen University in partnership with Embrey Family Foundation and Ignite/Arts Dallas. Activists, artists, and everyday citizens come together for a unique blend of art, creativity, and the concrete skills of effective change-making. Our country needs more people to show up in more places to practice power in more ways. Citizenship isn’t about documentation status - it’s about showing up and contributing. Join us! Plus, free food and drinks!

How do you get your voice heard? How do you change a rigged system? How do you stir others out of apathy or connect with those with whom you disagree? We’ll tackle these questions and more in a day of skill-building workshops, artistic performances, and deep community conversations. Participants will leave with practical strategies of civic power to apply in their own work, new connections with community members, and new ideas and inspiration for the work at hand.

Our goal is to make registration as accessible and inclusive as possible, which is why it’s free to attend CitizenFEST!

Agenda - Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018

8:30 Registration & Breakfast
9:00 MORNING PLENARY SESSION
Welcome & Opening Performance
Keynote: Power + Character | Eric Liu, Citizen University
Panel: “Creating the Dallas We Need” | Giovanni Valderas, Assistant Director at Kirk Hopper Fine Art and visual artist; Brianna Brown, Texas Organizing Project; Vicki Meek, independent curator and artist; moderated by Kayla DeMonte, Citizen University
11:00 MORNING BREAKOUT
Power + Character Workshop – Citizen University
12:30 LUNCH
Music by S-Ankh Rasa and DJ Skinpolitik. Tabling from local organizations
1:45 AFTERNOON BREAKOUTS
Workshops:
-Dr. Njoki McElroy
-Dallas Community Innovation Lab
-Panel: Creating Our Future, Dallas Area Interfaith, JOLT, Texas Freedom Network, moderated by Mercedes Fulbright
3:00 CLOSING PLENARY
Yoga N Da Hood, Mutual Aid Circles, performance, closing remarks by Eric Liu
4:30-5:30 Happy Hour Reception, music from DJ Skinpolitik.

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Gilley's Dallas is ADA accessible. Please contact us if you would like further accomodations.

Parking will be free and available.

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Learn more about Citizen University: citizenuniversity.us
Learn more about Embrey Family Foundation: embreyfdn.org
Learn more about Ignite/Arts Dallas: igniteartsdallas.com