EENC 2023 Conference: Request for Proposals

Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC) invites you to submit a session proposal for our 2023 annual conference. The EENC conference will be held Friday, September 8 - Saturday, September 9, 2023 at Rockfish Camp & Retreat Center in Fayetteville, NC. There will be pre-conference workshops and field trips on Thursday, September 7.

Session proposals will be due by midnight on May 24.

Theme

We are excited to announce that the 2023 conference theme is Unplug and rEEconnect. During the conference, we will delve deeper into what EE looks like in our state, the exciting and surprising places where EE is happening, and take time get outside and reconnect with the natural world. While we are especially interested in presentations addressing the following focus areas, all session ideas are welcome and do not have to fit perfectly into one of these topics. 

Presentation Focus Areas

rEEconnect to Place:
EE can be facilitated and experienced anywhere!  These presentations will focus on how to apply EE in various communities and situations.  These presentations will help unlock EE's audience by sharing ways to make EE more inclusive by addressing community and situational barriers.

rEEconnect to Our Why (Work): 

EE is the thread that connects us all!  These presentations will focus not on the 'what' or 'how' we implement EE, but the 'why.' The presentations will demonstrate the importance of collaboration with each other and other organizations toward a common purpose.  The presentations will 'zoom out' to celebrate the bigger picture of EE's impact.

rEEconnect to Social Change: 
The natural world is always changing,  and EE is too!  These presentations will focus on big new ideas, hot topics, and ways of doing that address social change.

Theory to Practice: 
These presentations will focus on celebrating research you and/or your organization is doing in the field and the practical application of the research.

Hands On and Minds On:
These presentations can be field skills, activity demonstrations, walking workshops, etc. that demonstrate the 'what' we do in EE, or the 'how' we do it!  These presentations are intended to be interactive.

Session Format Options

You may select either a 45- or 75-minute session. Sessions including an outdoor component should consider offering a longer session.

We have access to lots of outdoor space if you would like to have your session outdoors. Please be aware that chairs, tables, power, and internet access will not be available outdoors.

Indoor rooms will be equipped with a PC laptop, projector, and screen.  INTERNET WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE for any presentations.

Presenter Requirements

If your proposal is selected, all presenters will be required to register for the conference for at least the day of the presentation.

Presenters must register by the Early Bird deadline of July 16th or your session will be removed from the conference.

EENC has scholarship funding available to help educators attend the conference. Our goal is to award all applicants some level of funding. Learn more about scholarships here. 

Tips for Preparing your Proposal

• Provide enough detail about your session to give reviewers a clear picture of your session.

• Avoid abbreviations and acronyms, which may not be familiar to reviewers or conference participants.

• The Presentation Summary and the Presentation Descriptions both have character limits of 400 and 800, respectively. EENC reserves the right to edit your entries for length or clarity for publication.

• You will not be able to save your responses or reenter the form to complete it.

• If you wish to submit more than one proposal you will need to submit one form per proposal.

Proposals are due May 24.  Submit your proposal online!

If you have any questions please contact Cassie Petrilla, EENC Conference Chair, at conference@eenc.org.