2022 Conference

PACDC’s first in-person conference since 2019 was incredible! The 7th Annual Forward Equitable Development Conference brought together community development practitioners, allied organizations, city agencies, academics, and others. Attendees participated in a poetry workshop, learned about urban planning, mission driven financing, and supported one another during trauma-informed healing. We are looking forward to next year’s conference and hope to see you there!

Below are photos from the conference by Dominique Nichole Photography (Instagram @dominique_nichole_ LinkedIn @dominique-nichole) with a few by PACDC staff.

Attendees participate in the Creative Healing Spaces workshop, with Nia Eubanks-Dixon of Creative Praxis

Jos Duncan Asé and Rafik Abdellah of Indie-Life Media

For an idea of what to expect in the future, below are our 2022 conference program and sponsors:

2022 Conference Program

DAY 1 – Wednesday, October 5th

Time:	Sessions:
8:00-9:00am	Registration Opens Catered Breakfast & Community Catch-Ups
Full Day	UrbanPlan for Communities Workshop Urban Land Institute
9:00-9:30am	Welcome & Group Reconnecting/Grounding
9:45-11:15am	SESSION A: Creative Healing Spaces Nia Eubanks-Dixon, Creative Praxis SESSION B: Trauma-Focused Healing: From the Individual to the Community Life After Trauma Organization
11:30am-12:30pm	PANEL: Mission-Driven Financing for Community-Driven Vision -Michael Alles, Nonprofit Finance Fund -James R. Burnett, VestedIn -Jill C. Fink, The Merchants Fund -Rishika Ghosh, Philadelphia Green Capital Corp. -Peter Winslow, Philadelphia Public Bank Coalition, board candidate for Philadelphia Public Financial Authority
12:30-2:00pm	Catered Lunch Affinity Group Round Tables
3:15-4:45pm	Creating Community Hubs: Sullivan Center Case Study & “Art As Prayer” Workshop Sullivan Community Impact Center Project Team & Alice and Daisy’s Kin
4:45-5:15pm	Final Reflections & Day 1 Wrap-up

DAY 2 – Thursday, October 6th

Time	Sessions:
8:30-9:15am	Registration Opens Catered Breakfast & Community Catch-Ups
9:15-9:45am	Welcome Back
9:45-10:15am	Keynote: Guided Meditation & Reading from Emergent Strategy adrienne maree brown
10:30am-12:00pm	SESSION A: The Poetry of Healing, Joy, and Wellness: Interactive Poetry Writing Workshop & Performance Trapeta Mayson, accompanied by: Diane Monroe, Mary Francis, and Jan Jeffries SESSION B: Trauma-Informed Community Development Training New Kensington Community Development Corporation
12:00-1:30pm	Catered Lunch PACDC Iron Sharpens Iron Podcast – Live Recording
1:45-2:45pm	The DIY Clearing: Making Space for Grace in Your Life and Work Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart
3:00-4:00pm	Organizational Wellness and Its Relationship to Talent Development Alia Sutton-Bey
3:00-4:30pm	PANEL: “Staking Claim to Our Land” – James Johnson-Piett, Urbane – Melvin Powell, Creative Peacekeepers & Artists – Chris “TAMEArtz” Rodriguez – Harry Tapia, HACE – Jasmin Velez, Kensington Corridor Trust, Raíces Consulting, & Neighborhood Gardens Trust
4:30-5:00pm	Final Reflections & Day 2 Wrap-Up
5:00-6:30pm	Equity Celebration! Live entertainment Poetry reading by Pam Bridgeforth