In this gathering, we seek to explore ways that higher education honors place and Indigenous history, builds partnerships, values diverse knowledge, and creates more welcoming environments for Indigenous and other diverse students, faculty, and staff. We intend to explore how institutions can better partner with Indigenous nations and local communities to overcome barriers and address common critical issues. We hope to explore how Indigenous traditions and ways of knowing can inform and strengthen our community engagement work. What are the dialogues and discourses we need to have at this time in history to heal and strengthen our nation and move towards greater liberation from oppression?

Learn more and register.

The Western Region Continuums of Service Consortium is pleased to share that the call for proposals is open for the 2025 Continuums of Service conference being held March 26-28, 2025 at Seattle University. Registration is open now with early bird pricing and special rates for students and AmeriCorps members.

This year’s theme is “Higher Education: Honoring our Connections to Place and Indigenous Communities.” The call for proposals is open for the conference as well as for student presenters at the pre-conference track on March 26th. We invite all regional colleagues to submit their proposals prior to the deadline on October 15th. Please share with your networks! We look forward to a dynamic experience sharing and learning together.

Call for proposals.

Conference registration.

In 2021, when we last hosted COS, we were focused on the broader context of social injustice and climate change. Honoring the work that has been done and recognizing that these long-term grand challenges persist at home and abroad, we now think and act within a broader and perilous context of COVID-19, the increased likelihood of new and varying infectious diseases, and new threats to democracy and equity in an even more uncertain world. How do we turn the tide on these tremendous challenges we face and renew our energy to ameliorate them – urgently and for the long-term? 

How do we revitalize ourselves in the face of higher education’s challenges to explore power, privilege and positionality, and inspire and mobilize action and advocacy to tackle grand challenges — social, ecological, and economic – that we are all facing? 

As these challenges will likely increase over time, a big focus for the conference this year will be on cultivating sustainability and resilience, keeping ourselves grounded in place, and bridging across multiple social, biophysical, energy and capital dimensions for whole systems thinking and relationship building. From the campus to the community, from the mountains to the sea, turning the tides requires embracing complex systems and nurturing the ability to bounce forward, not back, after crises. At our conference this year, participants will have a chance to put this into practice both virtually and remotely. 

This year’s conference will offer attendees an experience co-hosted by community organizations and nonprofits, centering local and indigenous knowledge, highlighting  transformational campus-community partnerships and allowing participants to think deeply while visiting and participating in projects.

For more info:

• Click here to see the proposal submission guidelines
• Click here to see the conference agenda
• Click here to see the information for accommodations