2026 Bonner Congress:

A National Summit of Student Leaders 

Friday, October 9 - Sunday, October 11
YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly

84 Blue Ridge Cir, Black Mountain, NC 28711

The Bonner Foundation is excited to host the 2026 Bonner Congress: A National Summit of Student Leaders from Friday, October 9th to Sunday, October 11th at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly near Asheville, NC. Generally hosted each fall, Bonner Congress builds on a decades-long legacy of bringing together student representatives from across the 65+ schools in the Bonner Network.

Bonner Congress is designed to engage student leaders by:

• Student representation & voice: Representing their programs and campuses—bringing student perspectives, feedback, and ideas that help shape the Foundation’s ongoing national initiatives and network-wide priorities.

• Consulting project support & action planning: Advancing their campus consulting projects through strategy sessions—leaving with clearer goals, next steps, and tools to implement and follow through during the year.

• Peer mobilization & campus impact: Strengthening student leadership and cross-campus relationships so participants can mobilize peers, build coalitions, and translate learning into broader campus social impact.

Each Bonner Program selects at least two student* leaders to attend and represent their program and campus. Selected students should be members of the Bonner Leadership Team and/or Bonner Interns. During this academic year, expecting them to work closely with staff to support their respective campus consulting projects.

*There will be additional spaces 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.

2026 Bonner Congress Agenda

Location

The 2026 Fall Bonner Congress Meeting we be in-person and will be held at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly is located twenty-five minutes east of Asheville, NC, and thirty-five minutes from Asheville Regional Airport. Meeting spaces and overnight accommodations will be available for up to 150 students. 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 sends at least two student representative(s)* to the 2026 Bonner Congress: A National Summit of Student Leaders. Selected students should be members of the Bonner Leadership Team and/or serve as Interns. During this academic year, expecting them to work closely with staff to support their respective campus consulting projects.

Program staff and student leaders should communicate with one another before registering to ensure 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.

*There will be additional spaces 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.

Lodging

Students attending the 2026 Bonner Congress will stay on-site at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Lodging will be available in Hibbard Hall and Weatherford Hall, both of which offer comfortable rooms with an in-room bathroom to be shared with roommates.

CHAPERONE LODGING

If student(s) are accompanied by a chaperone, we ask that they are also fully registered to reserve a single room for them on-site.

Their are also a few near by hotels. Please see map for hotel options (about 15mins away from the center).

Meals

All of the following meals are provided during the entire conference:

• Friday, October 9th - Dinner

• Saturday, October 10th - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

• Sunday, October 11th - Breakfast

We will also be providing light snacks through out each day.

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 Bonner Fundamentals and Campus-wide Initiatives. We seek workshops on the following topics:

• Bonner Program Recruitment Efforts

• Bonner Program Visibility & Communications

• Bonner Program Funding Management (Community Fund)

• Bonner Accountability & Wellness

• Student Leadership (BLT, Interns, etc.)

• Student Led Campus-Wide Service Councils

• Career Connections & Post Graduate Success

• Civic Learning & Democratic Engagement

• Social Action and Activism

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

Workshop Proposals Due September 17th

Student Keynote submission

Are you a Bonner student who is passionate about service, leadership, and public speaking? Apply to be a Student Keynote Speaker at the 2026 Bonner Congress and share your story with student leaders from across the Bonner Network.

This year’s theme, “Represent, Build, Lead,” recognizes the important role Bonner students play in connecting community priorities to collective action. We’re looking for students who can share an authentic story about their Bonner journey and reflect on questions such as:

• Represent: What people, places, identities, community assets, priorities, or challenges shape your perspective and your work?

• Build: What relationships, programs, projects, or solutions have you helped develop—or hope to develop—to strengthen your program, campus, or community?

• Lead: How have you brought people together, mobilized your peers, or helped move an idea toward action?

Your speech does not need to answer every question or give equal attention to all three parts of the theme. Instead, tell a focused story that brings Represent, Build, Lead to life. You might share how you discovered your role in advancing a community priority, the people who worked alongside you, the actions you took, and what you learned along the way.

As you develop your keynote, consider how your story connects to one or more of the Pathways of Public Service and Civic Engagement, including community-engaged learning and research, direct service, community organizing and activism, policy and governance, philanthropy, and social entrepreneurship. You do not need to address every pathway; focus on the approach—or combination of approaches—that best illustrates how you engage in service and social change.

We’re seeking thoughtful and inspiring speakers who will celebrate community strengths, speak honestly about challenges, and encourage Bonners from across the country to recognize their collective power and lead alongside others.

Keynote Proposals Due September 17th

TRAVEL

The host location, YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, is located in Black Mountain, North Carolina about 18 miles from Asheville, NC. There will be a shuttle running from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly on Friday and a return airport shuttle on Sunday. We highly recommend traveling as a campus team.

DRIVING

If planning to drive, we recommend carpooling where possible. YMCA Assembly’s address is YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, 84 Blue Ridge Cir, Black Mountain, NC 28711. Free parking on-site will be available.

FLYING

If flying we recommend the following airports:

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) — 110 mi to YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly

5501 Josh Birmingham Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28208

Sponsered SHUTTLEs

A shuttle will be provided to and from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport and the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly. Please see shuttle times below:

Arrival Shuttle: Friday, October 9

Shuttle Departs at 2:00PM EST traveling from Charlotte Airport to YMCA Assembly

There are limited spots, and will be on a first come first serv. To reserve a spot for this sponsored shuttle, when registering, students will need to select the “Airport Shuttle” add-on and fill out the details form below. Submit flight details by September 30th.

Note: you must ensure flights arrive and depart with enough time to catch the shuttle and your flights. If you need airport transportation outside of this shuttle window (delayed flight, etc.), please have an alternative transportation plan prepared in advance. (The cost for any alternative transportation is not covered by the registration fee nor the Bonner Foundation)

ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION

Uber/lyft - there are uber and Lyft services available but can vary on availability. They also offer services that you can reserve in advance.

QUESTIONS

IF YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT...

Jeniffer Gonzalez Reyes, Director of Communications and Campus Engagement at jengr@bonner.org

Liz Brandt, Community Engagement Director at liz@bonner.org

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