***
***
Cambio de Colores Call for Proposals – Propuestas
This year marks the Cambio Center’s 24th Cambio de Colores-Change of Colors Conference. Focused on change and integration, we will meet at The State Historical Society of Missouri in CoMo (that is, Columbia, Missouri) from Wednesday to Friday, June 3-5, 2026, to share research and promising practices around Latine/Latinx, Hispanic, and newcomer communities.
We are interdisciplinary! We invite service providers, grassroots organizers, educators, artists, researchers, students, extension specialists – and others! – to present your research and your programs. We welcome proposals (500-word limit) for posters, presentations, organized panels, and workshops, in English or Spanish.
IMPORTANT DATES
- Monday, November 3, 2025 – Call for Proposals
- Friday, January 9, 2026 – Submission deadline
- Friday, March 6, 2026 – Notification of acceptance
- Monday, April 6, 2026 – At least one author must be registered
- Wednesday-Friday, June 3-5, 2026 – Conference!
All presenters will be responsible for their own travel expenses and conference registration fees. There is a limited number of scholarships available for students and community members; please visit our conference website to apply.
Please scroll through this page for more information on this year’s theme and submission requirements, or download the full Call for Proposals here in English, or aquí en español.
***
En Comunidad, We Rise: In CoMo, We Lift Each Other Up!
This year, the theme for Cambio de Colores takes inspiration from the hosting city, Columbia, Missouri, affectionately known as CoMo. We build from the city’s passion in creating something bigger than expected, and we recognize that como, or how, we do this matters – in community. This year, we emphasize that our strength to achieve something bigger – to truly integrate – lies in our unity. En Comunidad, We Rise reflects on how we lift each other up in challenging times, how we respond through mutual support and care, and how we build on one another’s power, to create an unstoppable, integrated community that thrives. En Comunidad, we become a family — a family that learns how to navigate never-ending change and extends beyond recognition and acceptance of multiple identities and backgrounds, to work towards justice, healing, and transformation.
This theme honors how we each got here and the deep roots of our cultures and traditions. We purposefully recognize the Indigenous and African languages and traditions in Latin America, and follow their teachings of how to be in community, in order to rise, grow, uplift, and thrive! Therefore, at this year’s conference in CoMo, we want to explore how to:
- Be resilient through our research, practice, and networking.
- Be vulnerable, stay united, and become stronger together.
- Honor our backgrounds and identities and share them with the world.
- Be seeds for social change.
- Join in collective action and develop shared values across differences.
- Co-create a future rooted in representation, healing, and hope.
- Rest and rejuvenate en comunidad.
- Lift each other up, and …
- Let others lift us up!
Join us in 2026 to recognize our changing communities and backgrounds, and rise together!
***
Submission Information
This conference focuses on the dialogue among research, promising practices, and advocacy, where the three inform and depend on each other to help create positive outcomes in communities. To enable these fruitful dialogues, researchers are expected to connect with others by fostering discussions on the meaning and applications of their research and findings. Practitioners, artists, and advocates likewise are asked to highlight the research needs and/or outcomes of their work. All presentations are expected to address change and integration in some way and should consider this year’s theme for inspiration. Click here to submit.
PROPOSAL CONTENT
- Contact Information: name, title, organization, address, phone, and email for each presenter
- Biography: 100-word biography for each presenter
- Proposal Information (options to choose from):
- Track: civil rights & political participation; community & economic development; education & youth development; or health
- Scope of submission: local, regional, national, or global
- Submission type: poster, presentation, panel, or workshop
- Intent to submit short paper for Conference Proceedings
- Title: 15-word limit
- Abstract: 100-150 word abstract
- Proposal: 500-word description of your proposal
REQUIREMENTS FOR EACH SUBMISSION TYPE
Presenters will choose one of the following submission types:
- Poster – on display throughout the conference
- Presentation – on research or promising practice (15 minutes)
- Organized panel – combination of 3 or 4 presentations on research or promising practice (75 minutes)
- Workshop – on promising practice (75 minutes)
Each research proposal must include:
- Objectives
- Context
- Methods (including research questions and data sources)
- Results
- Implications
Each promising practice proposal must include:
- Objectives
- Context/organization
- Main audience of your practice
- Promising practices/activities
- Implications
Posters will be set up on the first day of the conference. Easels or boards will be provided. Presenters should bring their own tape, pins, paper, or other materials. Poster size should not exceed 4 feet x 4 feet. Students who want to participate in a poster competition should indicate this on the submission form.
DESCRIPTIONS FOR EACH CONFERENCE TRACK
Civil Rights and Political Participation: Policies and political decisions shape individuals’ civil rights and political participation in changing communities. This track welcomes proposals on topics that touch upon both the impact and the agency of civil rights, for example: (1) the diversity of political engagement across Latine, Hispanic, and newcomer populations, including their work within the growing movements for racial and economic justice in the U.S.; (2) how discrimination or threats to one’s identity impact engagement and/or representation in our democracy and public institutions; or (3) recent legal changes or training programs that shape the political agency or civil rights of immigrants. The goal of this track is to raise awareness and share initiatives about legal rights, civil rights, and political engagement that affect individuals’ livelihoods and integration.
Education and Youth Development: Latine, Hispanic, and newcomer youth are resilient, activating their own cultural resources and assets as they grow and learn in both school and out-of-school contexts. This track welcomes proposals on: (1) programs and policies for Latine/Hispanic or newcomer youths in changing communities, including newcomer schools, language and bilingual programs, or specialized community and extension projects; (2) factors that shape youth experiences as they grow and learn (P-20), including cultural values, family expectations, transnational movement, or local institutions; or (3) challenges and contributions of various stakeholders involved in youth education and development. The goal of this track is to bring together 4-H, extension specialists, researchers, and educators to work collaboratively on enhancing educational equity, opportunities, and youth development.
Community and Economic Development: Latines, Hispanics, and newcomers make important impacts across communities and economies through their entrepreneurialism, business development, and risk-taking mindsets. Their work builds bridges, promotes dialogue, and creates opportunities that benefit changing communities. This track welcomes proposals that explore: (1) the cultural and social capital assets that promote community or economic development for newcomers; (2) the conditions or values that hinder and/or promote newcomers’ involvement and success in community and economic development activities; or (3) current economic trends across regions and/or Latine/Hispanic/newcomer populations. The goal of this track is to inform public policy, enhance service delivery, and support strong economic and community development.
Health: Being healthy is complex and challenging, perhaps especially in changing communities. Health is shaped by differences in transnational movement, economic circumstances, education, behavioral choices, living conditions, and the physical environment. This track encourages submissions that explore the following topics: community-based health care programs; cultural gaps and bridging in health; consequences of acculturation and health behavior modification; influence of race, ethnicity, or cultural competence on doctor-patient relationships; traditional or indigenous health practices; health literacy; domestic and sexual violence; mental health; or policies that support or inhibit healthy behaviors. The goal of this track is to translate research into practice in order to develop healthier communities.