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ACGA 2021 Conference, Hampton Virginia

Request for

EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP PROPOSALS

Each year, ACGA organizes an annual conference hosted by a different city. The 2021 ACGA Annual Conference will be held in Hampton Virginia at the Hampton Marina Hotel from Friday, September 24 to Sunday, September 26.

If you are interested in presenting at the 2021 conference, we encourage you to submit an application. We welcome diverse perspectives, from academic researchers to rank-and-file gardeners. Presenters qualify for a break on registration fees and other incentives, and get a unique opportunity to share their ideas with an informed and sympathetic audience. Please see details below.

Important announcement: New deadline - presentation applications now accepted through July 31.

Workshops will be held Friday morning and afternoon, and on Sunday morning (Saturday is set aside for garden tours and networking events.) Each workshop will be 50 minutes long including Q&A. We welcome workshops in Spanish as well as English. The theme of this year’s conference is:

Gardening in

Challenging Times

Workshops typically focus on community gardening-related topics such as community engagement, leadership development, innovative community garden programs, presentation of the community garden and urban agriculture-related research, volunteer management, site management, youth garden programs, community garden programs operated by non-profits, municipalities, universities, and cooperative extension programs, horticultural therapy, conservation of soil and water conservation, social justice, and food access. Community gardens are diverse and inclusive, we value equity, diversity of age, race, gender, orientation, perspective, and approach.

Workshop presenters receive a $100 discount for conference registration, which can be split with a co-presenter. Educational poster presentations for the lobby are awarded a complimentary conference t-shirt.

If you are interested in leading a live workshop or educational poster presentation, please complete and submit the information below.

https://tinyurl.com/ACGA-Workshop-Proposal-Form

Evaluation of Proposals:

ACGA's Program Committee evaluates workshop proposals based on four criteria:

• Relevance to Community Gardening and the conference theme

• Clarity of focus

• Degree of potential audience engagement

• Practical applicability

Deadline for applications: July 31

Our committee will review all proposals and let you know if your proposal has been accepted by August 15.

Questions? Please contact Fred Conrad at fred.conrad@communitygarden.org

ACGA 2021 Annual Conference

Gardening in Challenging Times

Hampton, Virginia
September 23 - 26 2021

ACGA’s annual national conferences are the high point of the year for community gardeners across North America. They offer a chance to see old friends, make new ones, and return to your home garden inspired by great ideas and shared energy.

This year, vaccinated community garden leaders (only) will gather in person in historic Hampton, Virginia.

Registration and check-in starts Thursday afternoon, September 23, with a special half-day pre-conference gardening ecology workshop.

The main conference runs from Friday, September 24, to Sunday, September 26,

The conference includes workshops, tours, speakers, and even a gala evening gathering, but the main attraction is the unique opportunity to meet and swap ideas and stories with fellow community gardeners. Watch this site for more information. See you in Hampton!

Registration:

In-person conference registration: $205 (ACGA members,) $250 (general public - includes a one year membership in ACGA.)

A Thursday afternoon pre-conference workshop on Garden Ecology, with Dr. Shawn Dash, is included as part of registration. (For those who cannot attend the conference, pre-conference workshop tickets are available separately for $40.)

Modest additional fees may be charged for tour lunches (a food truck rally!,) bike rental, and t-shirts.

Lodging:

$139 per night, plus taxes and fees, for paid conference goers (single room with 2 queen beds.) The Landing at Hampton Marina Hotel, site of the conference, is offering these rooms on a limited basis, first come-first served.

Transportation:

Hampton is located on the historic Virginia Coast at the outlet of Chesapeake Bay, within easy driving distance of Virginia, Washington, DC, and the Carolinas. Served by two major airports (Newport News and Norfolk) with regular service to major cities around the US and Canada.

To sign up, visit our REGISTRATION PAGE.

For more information, contact Wendy Iles.

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