The Bonner Foundation is excited to announce the 2026 Fall Bonner Congress: A National Summit for Student Leaders, taking place from Friday, October 9, to Sunday, October 11, at YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Bonner Congress is a gathering of approximately 150 Bonner student leaders across the 65+ campuses in the Bonner Network. These student leaders network with each other, Foundation staff, Bonner Alumni, and invited guests from national and graduate school partner organizations.
At the gathering, Bonners will elevate student voice at the national level; engage in networking, personal and program development, and leadership training; build a sense of the national network; and help shape Bonner Network initiatives. Bonner Congress also focuses on strengthening students’ knowledge and skills, equipping them to mobilize peers, and generating innovative ideas for student development, a campus-wide culture of service, and measurable community-partnership impact.
Each Bonner Program should plan to send at least two student leaders* to the 2026 Bonner Congress; selected students should be members of the Bonner Leadership Team (BLT) and/or serve as Interns. During this academic year, these students are expected to actively work alongside staff to advance their program’s consulting project(s).
*Additional spaces are available to send more than two students, on a first come, first served basis upon request, with the understanding that the additional students will also be involved in supporting the identified consulting project.
This year, we anticipate students will be actively engaged in identified consulting projects (listed below) during Congress and throughout the spring semester. We anticipate participants will receive additional training and support in areas such as:
Bonner student leadership roles and models
Planning and facilitating Bonner meetings
Leading Bonner recruitment
Leveraging Community Fund to make impact
Engaging Bonner Alumni
Building campus-wide engagement
If none of your Bonner Leadership Team (BLT) members or interns are able to attend, we recommend sending students who are interested in supporting any of the efforts outlined above.
Click below to register and learn more information about Bonner Congress, lodging, travel, and the tentative agenda. The deadline to register is September 24th, 2026.
If you have any questions, please contact Jen Gonzalez Reyes, Program Manager, at jengr@bonner.org.