2025 Fall Bonner Congress

Friday, October 10 - Sunday, October 12
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO Retreat & ecology campus

2710 S. Country Club Road, Woodstock, IL 60098

The Bonner Foundation will host our in-person 2025 Fall Bonner Congress from Friday, October 10 to Sunday, October 12 at the Loyola University Chicago Retreat & Ecology Campus. Generally hosted each fall, Bonner Congress is a gathering of about 150 student leaders from across the 75+ schools in the Bonner Network.

Each Bonner Program selects two student* leaders as Bonner Congress Representatives to attend and represent their programs and campuses during the year. Bonner Congress Representatives are part of the Bonner Leadership Team and support the quality of their programs and campus-wide engagement. These students engage in leadership training, discussion, networking, and planning on key initiatives. Bonner Congress Meeting sessions often focus on improving students’ knowledge and skills, equipping them to mobilize their peers and to develop innovative ideas for enhancing their program’s and campus’s social impact.

* There is limited lodging space a this location so we will only be able to have up to 2 students per program attend.

Location

The Loyola University Chicago Retreat & Ecology Campus provides meeting spaces, overnight accommodations, and meals in a cafeteria. The space offers comfortable all-group and breakout areas, which will support Bonner Congress Representatives as they network and share ideas for their programs, campuses, and communities.

REGISTRATION

Each Bonner school should send one or two student representative(s)* to the 2025 Bonner Congress. Program staff and student leaders should communicate with one another before registering to ensure their everyone is on the same page regarding covering costs for registration fees, travel, and other items.

Funded Bonner Programs can draw on several sources to cover these costs, including the Bonner Congress Travel Fund, Special Project funding, and their Community Fund. Please see the table below for the registration options and rates.

* There is limited lodging space a this location so we will only be able to have up to 2 students per program attend.

Registration Forthcoming

Lodging

Lodging rate forthcoming

All of our rooms are fully furnished with following amenities: Bed linens, pillows and blankets, toiletries, towels and washcloths, desk, alarm clock.

Hotel-Style: Comfortable, hotel style suites with private baths and air conditioning.

Dorm-Style: Comfortable, residence style housing accommodations.

CHAPERONE LODGING

Due to very limited room availability all on-campus rooms will be prioritized for students. If student(s) are accompanied by a chaperone, we ask that you book a room at a near by hotel. Please see map for hotel options (about 8-15min away from the campus):

WORKSHOP Submission

Attention: Bonner Students, Alumni, and Partners! We invite elective workshop proposals from those in the Bonner Network, including student attendees, alumni, Bonner graduate and national partners, and others. We seek workshops that aim to showcase best practices, models, tips, and examples of community engagement, student leadership, the Bonner Program, campus-wide engagement, social justice initiatives, and community partnerships.

This year’s conference theme focuses on student leadership, so particularly, we are looking for Bonner students to showcase interesting projects and initiatives. More example topics below:

  • Bonner Program Visibility (social media, newsletters, community events, other efforts)

  • Capstone Projects

  • Social Action and Activism

  • Capacity Building Projects

  • Students Leadership Onboarding and Support

  • Building Bonner Love and Community

  • Community Fund and/or Rising Senior Fund Use

  • Bonner Accountability and Wellness

  • Bonner Career Connections

Additionally, this is a great opportunity to hold space for conversations with other Bonner students about successes and/or challenges regarding service work, Bonner Program, and/or campus-wide engagement.

Workshop submissions forthcoming

Student Keynote submission

Are you a student who is passionate about service work and public speaking? If so, you're exactly the student we're looking for! We're excited to invite applications Student Keynote Speaker(s) at this year's 2025 Bonner Congress. This event is a fantastic opportunity to share your perspective with a diverse group of student leaders from all over the country.

To apply, you'll need to submit a speech outline and a draft of your speech. This is your chance to demonstrate your creativity, thoughtfulness, and dedication as a Bonner on your campus. We're looking for student speakers who can inspire and motivate other Bonners to take action and continue to make a positive impact on their communities.

Student keynote submission forthcoming

QUESTIONS

IF YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT...

Jen Gonzalez Reyes, Program Manager, at jengr@bonner.org, or Liz Brandt, Community Engagement Director, at liz@bonner.org.

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