About Us
As an organization, Catalyst Conference reaches out to high school students statewide to spend the entire weekend on UNC’s campus to interact with various social justice issues, some of which they may have never encountered before. We give high school students the opportunity to build and learn from personal relationships they form throughout the conference, which transcend racial, ethnic, religious, and gender boundaries. Our conference not only provides an open forum for the students to discuss community issues, it also equips them with strategies to combat the source of these issues in their own communities.
It is our goal for students to walk away from Catalyst Conference feeling empowered to develop strategies to combat apathy and ignorance that may threaten the sustainability, diversity, and efficacy of their communities through workshops, leadership training, and interactive discussions. We wish to transform high school students into catalysts for positive change within their own communities, and hope to challenge students to envision solutions for critical issues beyond the scope of their hometown.
It is our goal for students to walk away from Catalyst Conference feeling empowered to develop strategies to combat apathy and ignorance that may threaten the sustainability, diversity, and efficacy of their communities through workshops, leadership training, and interactive discussions. We wish to transform high school students into catalysts for positive change within their own communities, and hope to challenge students to envision solutions for critical issues beyond the scope of their hometown.
Our Co-Directors
Our co-directors serve as the official leaders of our organization: guiding, facilitating, and helping all committees work together to achieve a successful conference. Not only do our co-directors lead meetings and set goals for each committee , they also engage the organization in multiple trainings to ensure our counselors are well-prepared to educate, advocate, and facilitate their own discussions and interactive sessions with the admitted students.
Our Committees
In order to efficiently prepare for the conference, our organization is separated into different committees all working together to hold a spectacular social justice conference and to support our greater mission of social education through youth.
Bed & Breakfast
This committee secures food and housing for participants by contacting local community partners, as well as UNC students. Members are also responsible for ensuring all students are housed safe and responsibly, according to Catalyst Conference guidelines and University protocol. They also serve a huge role in providing food that is not only affordable and delicious, but also accommodating for everyone.
Connections
This committee manages the organization’s presence on social media, in addition to creating and administering the monthly Catalyst newsletter. They are also in charge of the website, merchandise, and other materials that engage Catalyst Conference with the greater student body at UNC and beyond.
Entertainment
This committee organizes the culture show/fair, as well as decorations and logistics of the banquet and other fun, engaging activities. They are also responsible for creating games and icebreakers for students upon their arrival, in addition to determining a theme for the conference.
Fundraising & Finances
This committee plans events with the intention of raising money for student scholarships, as well as saving finances for future uses within the organization. They also serve to organize benefit nights, pit-sitting, in addition to managing the fundraising efforts of all members within our organization.
Workshops
This committee creates and plans the curriculum for Catalyst Conference. Their main goal is to engage the students in fun, interacting activities where they can share personal experiences while also learning and hearing from the experiences of others.