Call for proposals
We are excited to announce the Call for Proposals for the 9th Annual National Children of Incarcerated Parents Conference, What We Build Together – Our Community, Impact, and Power. The 2027 in-person conference will be held in Scottsdale AZ over 2 ½ days (Monday, April 5th, 2027 to noon Wednesday, April 7th, 2027).
Across all three tracks (Community, Impact, and Power), we welcome youth-led and co-led work, research in every form (quantitative, qualitative, participatory, and community-based), and creative modalities such as art, film, and digital storytelling. We are especially interested in sessions that share struggles alongside successes, including honest accounts of efforts that fell short, and in work that moves families from being consulted to leading. We prioritize work with and by Indigenous communities and other marginalized and minoritized populations, and we welcome proposals addressing every form of family separation, including incarceration, immigration detention and deportation, and the system involvement that follows families long afterward.
We invite submissions for 45-minute sessions in the following categories:
- Presentations
- Workshops
- Panels
- Posters (if enough interest is shown)
Proposals should align with one (or more) of the following three tracks:
Community
This track centers the relationships and spaces that hold families together across separation: healing-centered programs, caregiver and peer supports, visitation and contact practices, cultural restoration, and alternatives to incarceration. We especially welcome youth-led work and sessions that share struggles alongside successes.- Impact
This track asks what actually changes, for whom, and how we know, through research, evaluation, and program results that treat people with lived experience as knowledge holders rather than subjects. We welcome quantitative, qualitative, participatory, and community-based work, including honest accounts of efforts that fell short. - Power
This track focuses on who decides, and on shifting that answer toward children, families, and communities through policy changes, rights protections, grassroots organizing, and cross-sector coalitions. We welcome creative modalities like art, film, and participatory action, and work that moves families from being consulted to leading.
Proposal Formatting and Submission
To keep the review process fair and organized, we accept conference proposals only through our Google Form. Please do not send proposals by email or as attachments—those cannot be included in the review.
We recommend signing in to a Google account before beginning the form so your progress is saved and you can return to complete your proposal later.
As part of your proposal for What We Build Together - Our Community, Impact, and Power, you will be asked to submit one slide reflecting how your work connects to Our Community, Impact, and Power. If your proposal is accepted, we ask that you include this slide as the final slide of your presentation.
You may edit your submission until 11:59 p.m. Arizona time on November 5. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
Thank you for using the form so we can give every submission the same careful attention.