About the UnConference
This is not a typical conference.
No panels. No breakout sessions. No PowerPoint fatigue.
Instead, the UnConference offers:
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Tools for radical self-care: learn new ways to support yourself and your clients in times of uncertainty and stress.
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Practices for deep connection and community-building: develop new communication tools to navigate difficult conversations in shifting landscapes, help your clients find ways to communicate and set boundaries even in ambiguous situations.
- Exercises based in neuroscience designed to boost joy and connection, for personal use or to implement in your practice.
Throughout the day, we will explore:
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How do we care for ourselves in a profession built on caring for others?
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How do we build authentic connections, and help our clients to do the same, even across differences?
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What new tools do we need to develop to help ourselves and our clients navigate these unprecedented times?
This is a day to set down your laptop and bring your full self.
Expect keynotes that spark hope, interactive experiences, and moments of real conversation and reflection, including:
A Keynote from Marjorie Grevious: Align Towards Joy
Liberation includes releasing that which hinders you, and healing from what hurts in order to allow space for a more expansive experience of joy. Learn how rest and ease can help align your mind, body, spirit and social towards a life that you want to live by claiming more of who you are, and not just what you do for others.
A workshop from Danger Boat Productions: From Ambiguity to Action: Communication Skills for Uncertain Times
Drawing from their unique improv performance background, this workshop will focus on navigating uncertainty and communication, using improv-based techniques to help participants communicate more clearly, listen more actively, and collaborate with greater confidence. For more than a decade, co-founders Tane Danger and Brandon Boat have used humor to break down barriers and energize audiences. With backgrounds in public policy and social work, they envisioned how improv could make difficult topics accessible. Since then, they have built a team that has brought that magic to hundreds of stages, from small retreats to large-scale conferences, for partners like Target, Minnesota Public Radio, and the Mayo Clinic.
An interactive experience from Mixed Blood Theater Company: The Happiness Gym guides you through an experience that will leave you a sparkling revolutionary. Based on scientific research, The Happiness Gym goes beyond positive thinking approaches and instead relies on connection, gratitude, and kindness, leaving participants with mood-boosting skills.
You will leave feeling supported, recharged, and reconnected.
What Does It Mean to "UnConference"?
un·con·fer·ence [uhn-kon-fer-uhns] verb
To gather with purpose, ditch the traditional format, and connect like humans.
To recharge through movement, reflection, laughter, and real talk.
To get what you actually need: rest, community, and a spark of hope.
"We unconferenced so hard, I left feeling seen, supported, and actually hopeful."
UnConference is Possible Because of Our Generous Sponsors
Support the Movement: Sponsor the UnConference
Social workers are being asked to do more than ever before, often without the resources and support they need.
The NASW-MN UnConference is a direct response: a bold space centered on radical self-care, authentic connection, and collective renewal.
Your sponsorship invests in:
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The mental health and resilience of Minnesota’s social workers
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An event built around care, creativity, and social justice
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The future of a profession that serves on the frontlines of every crisis
Support the well-being of those who support our communities.
Become a Sponsor!