Call for Proposals: NOHS 2025 Conference

Theme: Empowering Change Through Compassionate Action: A 50-Year Legacy

Date: November 7-9, 2025

Location: Charlotte, NC

The National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) invites you to join us in celebrating 50 years of advancing the field of human services. Our 2025 conference theme, Empowering Change Through Compassionate Action: A 50-Year Legacy, honors the enduring impact of compassion in driving change and shaping our field’s rich history. This milestone event will reflect on past achievements while envisioning a future where human services continue to transform lives and communities through empathy, advocacy, and innovation.

We are seeking dynamic presentations that inspire, inform, and engage our diverse audience of human services professionals, educators, students, and advocates. Proposals should align with the theme and reflect our commitment to advancing social justice, fostering collaboration, and empowering individuals and communities.

Presentation Formats:

1. Individual Presentation: A focused 20-30 minute session sharing research findings, case studies, or professional insights, followed by audience Q&A.

• Panel Discussion: A group of 3-5 experts offering diverse perspectives on a shared topic, with moderated dialogue and audience engagement. Proposals for panel discussions should identify an individual who will be moderating. Panel discussions can be 60 or 90 minutes.

• Roundtable Discussion: Facilitated, interactive discussions encouraging participant contributions on specific issues or challenges. The facilitator introduces the topic and guides the discussion but encourages open dialogue among all participants. Suited for collaborative problem-solving, new ideas/research that is not completed/published, and in-depth conversation on specific issues prominent in the field.

• Workshop: Hands-on, skill-building sessions designed for practical learning. Workshops should include a takeaway that participants can employ in their work/education. Workshop sessions will be scheduled for 45 or 90 minutes.

• Lightning Talks: Lightning Talks offer a fast-paced, engaging platform for presenters to distill their ideas or concepts into 10-minute, focused discussions. This format excels at efficiently conveying messages and serves as an effective method to explore a wide array of subjects quickly. Lightning sessions will be thoughtfully organized around related themes, enhancing thematic continuity and audience engagement for contributors.

• Student Poster Presentations: The Student Poster Session is a vibrant and engaging highlight of our conference, designed to showcase the innovative research, projects, and case studies conducted by students in the field of human services. This interactive session provides a unique platform for students to present their work visually on posters and engage in meaningful discussions with conference attendees. Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to submit proposals for poster presentations. These submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis until all slots are filled.

 

Submission Guidelines: (Please note that all presentations will take place in person)

• Abstract: a concise overview of the proposed presentation including the main focus, objectives, paying particular attention to the presentation’s relevance to the conference theme (250 words max).

• Learning objectives (minimum of 3)

• Presentation format preference.

• Brief bio of presenter(s) (150 words max)

 

Important Dates:

• Submission Deadline: March 1, 2025

• Notification of Acceptance: April 15, 2025

• Conference Dates: November 7-9, 2025

 

Submission Process:

Submit proposals via our online format at [Insert Website Link]. We will not accept proposals submitted outside of the online format. Proposals will be peer-reviewed and selected presenters notified by April 15, 2025.

 

Selection Process:

Submissions will be reviewed by the conference committee based on the following criteria. Selected speakers will be notified by a specific date and will receive guidelines for preparing their presentations.

• Relevance to Conference Theme: The proposal must align with the conference theme. It should contribute to the exploration of diverse viewpoints, innovative practices, or transformative ideas in human services.
• Clarity and Coherence: The submission should clearly articulate the main idea, objectives, and expected outcomes of the talk. It must be well-organized, with a logical flow, and clear learning objectives that link back to the abstract and overall topic.
• Originality and Innovation: Proposals should introduce original concepts, innovative approaches, or novel insights into existing challenges within the human services field. Preference is given to ideas that stimulate further discussion, inquiry, or exploration.
• Practical Application: The topic should have practical implications for professionals, practitioners, educators, researchers, or policy-makers in human services. It could offer solutions, best practices, tools, or methodologies that attendees can apply in their own work.
• Potential for Impact: The proposed presentation should have the potential to make a significant impact on the audience, whether by altering perceptions, encouraging action, or contributing to professional development and knowledge exchange.
• Speaker Qualifications: The presenter’s background and experience should lend credibility to the topic being presented. A brief bio or statement of expertise related to the topic should be included.

 

Join us in Charlotte, NC for an enriching experience that strengthens voices and fosters change in human services.

For questions, contact

info@nationalhumanservices.org.