Cultures Connecting at the Bridge Conference

Members of our Cultures Connecting team presented at the 2026 Bridge Conference held by School's Out Washington on October 26 & 27. This year's theme was "The Art of Being Water."

Dr. Caprice Hollins and Ilsa Govan co-presented "The Art of Facilitation: Leading through Emotions in Discourse about Race" and Richard Kim presented, "Weaving Without Erasing: Equitable Enculturation for Diverse Communities." Ilsa shared about her experience,

"SOWA's Bridge Conference rocked this year! Caprice and I led a session on The Art of Facilitation: Leading through Emotions in Discourse about Race to an amazing group of reflective folks. One shared afterwards how much she appreciated have clear strategies to apply in the many moments she, as a woman of color, feels activated throughout the day.

One of my favorite parts of tabling at a conference is the opportunity to see people we've known for years in racial justice work, and hear the stories and make connections with new people. Knowing so many are engaged everyday in centering belonging while elevating youth voice truly left me feeling more energized and hopeful. A huge shout out to Kerry Wade at Best Starts for Kids who had the awesome photo booth right next to us (see image below) and shared details of how she co-designed the Youth Bill of Rights with young people!

If you missed our workshop, we'll also be talking about this at our first lunch and learn next week!"