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Association for Environmental & Outdoor education


AEOE strengthens environmental education in California by connecting providers, building professional expertise, and championing environmental literacy and outdoor learning.

CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS 2025


Share your skills, strategies, and techniques and help us to strengthen our community and expand our impact at the statewide conference for environmental and outdoor education!



Conference Theme: Roots and Branches: Strengthening Community and Expanding Impact

Conference Strands: Workshops should align with one* of the strands below. However, if you have a workshop that isn't a good fit but you think it would bring strong value to our community, we encourage you to submit an application and select the strand that it's most closely aligned to.


Nurturing Roots for a strong foundation

This could include workshops addressing the following topics:

  • supporting mental health of students and staff 
  • fostering equitable practices and creating inclusive learning environments
  • incorporating a trauma-informed approach
  • centering Indigenous knowledge
  • establishing a sense of place

Branching Out to expand reach

This could include workshops addressing the following topics:

  • developing innovative partnerships
  • promoting outreach strategies
  • supporting audiences beyond K-12 (pre-K, adults, multi-generational, etc.)

Weathering Storms to build resilience

This could include workshops addressing the following topics:

  • promoting strategies to address climate change
  • developing long-term organizational sustainability 
  • adapting to an evolving political landscape

Fostering Growth to promote leadership development

This could include workshops addressing the following topics:

  • nurturing budding leaders
  • supporting mentorship
  • developing pathways for career advancement
  • strengthening management skills

            * Note that equity and inclusion are expected to be incorporated into every workshop


            Workshop slots are 60 minutes and the majority take place outside (on a trail, at picnic tables, or in an outdoor amphitheater). Workshops are intended to increase the knowledge and skills of our conference participants. Please don't use this as an opportunity to market your program or promote your materials. If you are interested in the latter, please contact our Executive Director at director@aeoe.org to discuss sponsoring/tabling at the event.

            If you would like to see the workshop proposal questions ahead of time, or are planning to collaborate with someone else, you can access the questions here. 


            WORKSHOP PRESENTER APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED (Deadline: February 1, 2025)

            Acceptance and notification: Workshops will be reviewed after the deadline and you will be notified by mid-February. If your workshop is accepted, you must register by the early-bird deadline of March 1, 2025 to secure a spot in the program. Workshop presenters receive a discounted registration rate, which can be accessed using the code emailed to you upon your acceptance notification. Please check your spam folder if you don't hear from us by mid-February. 


            Call for affinity group leaders

            Affinity spaces provide opportunities for folks with shared identities to connect across shared lived experiences in intimate ways which can be really joyful, healing, affirming, and supportive. In addition to celebration and healing, affinity spaces can support mitigating power dynamics, by minimizing the “teaching” that we often have to do when we have to explain how our identity specific experiences are different from those who do not walk through the world with our identities. We are looking for individuals interested in leading affinity spaces at different points throughout the conference. Affinity group leaders will receive the discounted presenter registration rate. 

            At the 2025 conference we will offer the following opportunities for those shared connections:

            • Job-alike affinity spaces: Participants can choose to connect with others in similar roles or educational settings to network and get to know one another. This is an approximately 30 minute session that could involve introductions, name games, ice-breakers, and/or short discussions. These sessions will be held concurrently after the conference opening, before the first workshop slot. 
            • Identity-based affinity spaces: Participants can choose to connect with others with a shared identity (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color [BIPOC], LGBTQIA+, other?). This will be up to 45 minutes to meet one another, network, and discuss identity-related experiences and may be a place for connection, healing, and reflection. In recognition of the intersectional nature of human identities, these sessions will be scheduled in conversation with the session leader at separate times throughout the conference. The session leader can identify their time preferences.

            CLICK HERE TO APPLY TO BE AN AFFINITY GROUP LEADER (Priority deadline: February 15, 2025 - and open until filled)

            CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL & OUTDOOR EDUCATION

            Mailing Address: 2930 Domingo Ave., Suite 3028Berkeley, CA 94705

            info@aeoe.org

            AEOE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit 

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