About the Cambio de Colores 2015 Conference

Communities throughout the Midwest have seen dramatic demographic changes in the last three decades, including the arrival of large numbers of immigrants who are settling in rural and urban areas. Since 2002, the Cambio de Colores (Change of Colors) Conference has annually brought together community leaders and policymakers, those who provide services to newcomers in changing communities, researchers and other professionals to discuss the issues resulting from these changes.

This year’s theme, “Shaping the Future: Leadership for Inclusive Communities” seeks to highlight the important role of leaders within Latino and immigrant communities and the contributions they make in creating strong and resilient places. We are also interested in how leadership in receiving communities is organizing to make communities inclusive to all their members. As our communities continue to change with the push and pull factors that cause demographic shifts in places across the country, it is inclusive leadership that can truly shape the future wellbeing of our communities.  This year we are very interested in the research and best practices/proven programs related to supporting multi-generational leaders and developing inclusive communities.

Over the past fourteen years, this conference has served as a hub for researchers and practitioners to take stock of how our communities are adapting to changes and share experiences of how to improve immigrant integration and community wellbeing. While native and foreign-born Latinos may constitute the majority of new arrivals in these regions, the conference is also interested in immigrants from other areas of the world.  The integration of these very diverse groups is being studied by academics and pursued by stakeholders, as the newcomers seek to become part and parcel of the social, economic, and cultural fabric of their new communities.

Cambio de Colores serves as a unique venue to share, learn, discuss, and identify critical areas where the development of information and promising practices will facilitate the successful transition of newcomers into communities large and small. The conference organizers seek presentations, posters, and panels on the conference themes described in this call, as well as workshops targeted to community members, leaders, and officials with the tools necessary to address these changes in ways that are sustainable and beneficial to all.

Led by the University of Missouri, Cambio de Colores is a collaborative effort that includes University of Missouri Extension, the campuses of the Missouri system, and other educational institutions in the Midwest and the Southern regions, as well as government and private organizations. Since 2009, the conference has benefited from the cooperation of the interstate initiative on “Latinos and Immigrants in Midwestern Communities,” North Central Education and Research Activity 216 (NCERA 216). 

The conference convenes public and private service providers, grassroots organizations, education and healthcare providers, academic researchers and extension specialists, state and local government institutions, policymakers, corporations, and newcomers themselves. The conference program focuses and builds on the sharing of university, government, and community resources, linking academic studies to the more applied perspective and best practices of people and institutions working at the heart of the changing communities. This synergy is the signature characteristic of this conference, which engages a wide array of stakeholders in economic and social development.

Major conference themes include: Health, Education, Civil Rights & Political Participation, Entrepreneurship & Economic Development, and Change & Integration.

See the Call for Presentations (PDF or .html).

Submit your presentation proposal here.