The theme of this conference is “Art of Belonging.” As educators, we are aware that belonging and identity are crucial to one’s life satisfaction, happiness, mental and physical health, and even longevity.  A sense of belonging also gives us purpose and meaning.  In the spirit of collaboration, the Migrant and Arts programs have come together to offer professional development sessions, share ideas, practices and address key issues in our respective programs through the 2023 State Conference.  The ultimate goal of this collaboration is to provide educators, administrators, advocates, and other staff an opportunity to reimagine how they serve migratory students and their families in Washington state.  

Keynote speakers:

Thursday August 17th 8:30 am 

Irma Z. Mejia, licensed Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner and nationally certified as a medical examiner for CDL physicals.  Irma is a Sunnyside native who values family and enjoys spending time with them. She loves outdoor recreation and traveling.  Irma is fluent in Spanish.

Thursday August 17th 12 pm

Dr. Yesenia Navarrete Hunter, Dr Hunter was born in Mexico and came to the U.S. as a child. She grew up in Wapato, WA as a migrant farm worker.  Her current work, "Entangles Histories of Land and Labor," centers on the braided histories of immigrants and Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest.

Friday August 18th 8 am

Edward Clapp, principal investigator and research associate at Project Zero, interested in exploring creativity and innovation; design and maker-centered learning; contemporary approaches to arts teaching and learning; and diversity, equity, and inclusion in education.

Migrant districts will be given priority to registration.  We welcome those educators, administrators, and other staff who work in Migrant Education districts or with migratory students for early registration May 8th - May 29th.  

Registration will open to the general public May 30th, so please register early.  Open registration will run May 30th through August 8th.