2nd Annual Bridges & Blueprints Community Engagement Retreat - Rooted in the Community, Ready for What’s Next
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*Registration payment includes Credit Cards and Interfund Transfers ONLY.
Description
Every bridge starts with a blueprint and every blueprint starts with people who believe two sides are worth connecting. Come ready for a high-energy working retreat designed for community partners, faith-leaders, and public health professionals who help bring the Community Engagement Program to life. This retreat creates space to celebrate progress, strengthen connections, exchange ideas, and collectively explore and shape what comes next for community engagement across Mecklenburg County. By the end of the retreat, participants will depart with stronger relationships, clarity about the road ahead, practical strategies for engagement, and a renewed spirit that every partner, perspective, and puzzle piece has a place in the blueprint.
Come together. Learn together. Lead together. Join fellow community leaders, faith partners, and public health professionals as we build the bridges and blueprints for a healthier Mecklenburg County. Register today!
Date/Time
Friday, October 9, 2026 | 9:00am-3:00pm - Registration and breakfast 8:00am
A continental breakfast, hot lunch and snacks will be provided.
Registration Information
Ready to join us? Choose one of the registration options below. Whether you plan to receive continuing education credit or simply attend for the valuable learning experience, we'd love to have you there!
Register WITH Continuing Education Credit
Register WITHOUT Continuing Education Credit
Location
South Piedmont AHEC
5039 Airport Center Parkway, Building K
Charlotte, NC 28208
Classroom 17/18
Agenda9:00 - 9:30am -
Meet Me at the Bridge - Welcome & Opening Message
9:30 – 10:35am -
Milestones & Momentum - FY26 Successes & FY27 Priorities
10:35 – 10:45am - Wellness & Transition Break
10:45 – 11:50am - BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Breakout Session A -
Reconnecting & Renewing the Village A hands-on session designed exclusively for Village HeartB.E.A.T. churches, leaders, and partners to explore how to strengthen the village by recruiting new churches, reconnecting former or less-active congregations, reclaiming members who have stepped away, and deepening the participation of current teams. Participants will examine and collaboratively plan recruitment approaches (what attracts churches to the Village), renewed engagement strategies (what encourages them to remain engaged), and reclamation activities (what may help welcome them back). This session will also unveil the expansion and evolution of Village HeartB.E.A.T. Season 14. The goal is to leave with a shared mini-blueprint for rebuilding momentum from the pews to the community.
Breakout Session B -
Engagement that Moves: Putting IAP2 into Practice An informative and interactive session designed for community partners on the adoption of the IAP2 framework and how it can be applied in a practical and approachable way. This session will also introduce the beginning of an inaugural cohort that will receive consultative IAP2 support, coaching, and shared learning to apply the framework to community engagement efforts. Participants will leave with practical language, useful tools, and at least one strategy they can apply within their organization or partnership.
11:50am – 12:00pm - Wellness & Transition Break
12:00pm – 1:00pm -
Gather Around the Table - Community Lunch
1:00pm – 2:30pm -
Piece by Piece: The Community Blueprint Challenge - Interactive Group Activity
2:00pm – 3:00pm -
What We Carry Forward: Reflection & Closing
Continuing Education Credits0.5 CEUs
5.0 Contact Hours
In Partnership with Mecklenburg County
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DisclaimersRegistering for the conference gives South Piedmont AHEC permission to share your information with conference partners and Mecklenburg County Public Health. Registering for and attending a South Piedmont AHEC program authorizes South Piedmont AHEC to take audio, video, and/or still images to be used for promotional and educational purposes. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your South Piedmont AHEC representative.
Electives
Please choose your Breakout Session:
- Status
-
Open
- Date(s)
-
Oct 9, 2026
- Time
- 10:45 AM - 11:50 AM Eastern Time
- Check-In Time
- 10:45 AM
- Description
- A hands-on session designed exclusively for Village HeartB.E.A.T. churches, leaders, and partners to explore how to strengthen the village by recruiting new churches, reconnecting former or less-active congregations, reclaiming members who have stepped away, and deepening the participation of current teams. Participants will examine and collaboratively plan recruitment approaches (what attracts churches to the Village), renewed engagement strategies (what encourages them to remain engaged), and reclamation activities (what may help welcome them back). This session will also unveil the expansion and evolution of Village HeartB.E.A.T. Season 14. The goal is to leave with a shared mini-blueprint for rebuilding momentum from the pews to the community.
- Status
-
Open
- Date(s)
-
Oct 9, 2026
- Time
- 10:45 AM - 11:50 AM Eastern Time
- Check-In Time
- 10:45 AM
- Description
- An informative and interactive session designed for community partners on the adoption of the IAP2 framework and how it can be applied in a practical and approachable way. This session will also introduce the beginning of an inaugural cohort that will receive consultative IAP2 support, coaching, and shared learning to apply the framework to community engagement efforts. Participants will leave with practical language, useful tools, and at least one strategy they can apply within their organization or partnership.
