The Take Action Institute Conference is Back!
History into Action
Through the power of testimonies and lessons from the Holocaust, the institute produces curriculum, conferences and training engaging high school and college students to develop and build necessary skills and attitudes to be confident changemakers.
OCTOBER 21, 2023
8:00AM-8:00PM
The Orlando Hilton
6001 Destination Parkway
The Take Action Institute Conference is Back!
History into Action
Through the power of testimonies and lessons from the Holocaust, the institute produces curriculum, conferences and training engaging high school and college students to develop and build necessary skills and attitudes to be confident changemakers.
OCTOBER 21, 2023
8:00AM-8:00PM
The Orlando Hilton
6001 Destination Parkway
The Take Action Institute Conference is Back!
History into Action
Through the power of testimonies and lessons from the Holocaust, the institute produces curriculum, conferences and training engaging high school and college students to develop and build necessary skills and attitudes to be confident changemakers.
OCTOBER 21, 2023
8:00AM-8:00PM
The Orlando Hilton
6001 Destination Parkway
2023 Take Action Conference Pillars
Bias and Bigotry Reduction
Education and Youth Empowerment
Civic and Citizenship Engagement
Historical Culture and Identity
Bias and Bigotry Reduction
Education and Youth Empowerment
Civic and Citizenship Engagement
Historical Culture and Identity
2023 Conference Agenda
Morning
8:00 am
Registration/Breakfast
Session Speakers Welcome
Florida Ballroom
9:00 am - 10:15 am
Breakfast Keynote
Orange Ballroom
(Luc Bernard)
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Breakout Sessions
afternoon
12:15 pm - 1:45 pm
Lunch Keynote
Orange Ballroom
(Trisha Prabhu)
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Breakout Sessions
3:30 pm - 4:45 pm
Energy Hour
4:45 pm
Doors Open for Dinner
evening
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Dinner Keynote
Orange Ballroom
(Melissa Eccles)
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Networking Opportunity
8:00 pm
Event Ends
keynote speakers
Luc Bernard
Pillar: Historical Culture and Identity
Born in France, director Luc Bernard is known for his groundbreaking work on The Light in the Darkness, the first commercial-level video game about the Holocaust. Prioritizing empathy, it humanizes the victims, gaining acclaim worldwide and pioneering awareness in the Middle East.
Trisha Prabhu
Pillar: Education and Youth Empowerment
At only thirteen, Trisha invented Rethink™, a cyberbullying prevention tool. TED speaker, winner of numerous prestigious awards, Harvard graduate, current Rhodes Scholar, and a published author, she continues to champion online safety through global work.
Melissa Eccles
Pillar: Citizenship and Civic Engagement
Emmy-nominated Creative Director, Writer, and Producer, Eccles specializes in immersive storytelling at the nexus of technology and neuropsychology. Her work spans film, TV, advertising, including projects for HBO and Warner Bros. She is passionate about creating and pushing boundaries.
BREAKOUT SPEAKERS
Justin Brozanski
Professor Brozanski is a Course Director in the Creative Writing Department of Full Sail University. He specializes in Transmedia Storytelling. He also operates Brozanski for Cats, a nonprofit which seeks to leave “no cat left outside.”
Anna Eskamani
From Orlando, Representative Anna V. Eskamani of House District 42 has committed her life to advocating in support of Florida’s hardworking families. Tough, authentic and unafraid, Anna has proven herself as a leader who works hard, delivers results, and gets things done.
Shawn Welcome
Serving the community one poem at a time, Shawn Welcome – Poet Laureate for the City of Orlando has a goal to use his gift with words to inspire, entertain, encourage, and educate the world around him.
KC Hampton
KC Hampton is a novelist, poet, activist, and believer in hope, love, and kindness in just the simplest of smiles. She is a woman, young adult, and mental health activist who channels her storytelling abilities to spread topics that must be heard over the noise lost in media.
Suzanne Schneider
Suzanne Schneider, born in 1937 in Zbarazh, Poland, faced extreme hardships during the Soviet and German invasions, leading to her and her family’s confinement in the Zbarazh ghetto. Due to her father’s medical expertise, a woman offered to hide Suzanne and her family in a chicken coop for a year. They were eventually liberated by the Soviets and lived displaced until they settled in the United States.
Ginsburg Incubator
Panel Awardees
Jessica Brown
Full Sail University
Ben Mack Jackson
Rollins College
Jaelyn Jenkins
University of Central Florida
Liam King
Rollins College
Wanya Allen
Seminole State College
Victoria Ramon
Stetson University
Keep on Giving Panel
Sendy Sejourne
University of South Florida
Taylor Hibel
Stetson University
Akheem Mitchell
Rollins College
Skye Cronje
Stetson University
New Perspectives Panel
Sam Bernbaum
Isabel Cesar
Andre Graves
Luc Bernard
Born in France, director Luc Bernard is known for his groundbreaking work on The Light in the Darkness, the first commercial-level video game about the Holocaust. Prioritizing empathy, it humanizes the victims, gaining acclaim worldwide and pioneering awareness in the Middle East.
A Central Position
The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida is well-positioned to engage with today’s youth on enduring social issues. As we grow into a new, state of the art museum in the heart of downtown Orlando, our institution will be centrally located as a place of dialogue and action, especially on issues of discrimination, prejudice, and antisemitism.
We promote strong communities across Central Florida by focusing on the change each person can make around them and within themselves.
Impact Focused
Our students are compassionate changemakers. They value respect, kindness and are enthusiastic about their communities.
Community Connections
Our students are compassionate changemakers. They value respect, kindness and are enthusiastic about their communities. We are proud to partner with a variety of groups and organizations who understand and live our values.
Join us in becoming a community connections partner here.
Community & Student Focused
We are proud to partner with a variety of groups and organizations who understand and live our values.
Our Partners
Thank you to our corporate and education partners for supporting the Take Action Institute.
We invite you to take action and support the 2023 Take Action Institute Conference. With your generosity, student leaders and many others can expand their impact and create a more inclusive society. View sponsorship opportunities here, become a sponsor here or contact Taylor Warner-Valdez for more information.
Scholarship
Michael Soll (individual)
Stephanie Adler-Paindiris (individual)
Rick Schell (individual)
Signature
Keynote Breakfast
Contributor
Scholar
Platinum
Presenting
Our Story
A more equitable society emerges when we join together. The Take Action Institute Conference is a site of collaboration to advance change for our communities and to find like-minded change agents to work with!
TAI Conference's Mission
The Take Action Institute Conference brings together a collaborative community of youth and organizational partners to address issues important to them.
We are guided by the lessons of The Holocaust, especially the role that ordinary people can play in bringing about extraordinary change.
Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida's Mission
We use the history and lessons of the Holocaust to build a just and caring community free of antisemitism and all forms of prejudice and bigotry.
Through our extensive outreach of educational and cultural programs and exhibits, we use the lessons of the Holocaust as a tool. We teach the principles of good citizenship to thousands of people of all ages, religions, races, sexual orientations, abilities and backgrounds each year.
Inspirational
We work for justice and compassion in the world, and we are passionate about bringing people together to make it happen.
Bold
We unapologetically use the tools of historical inquiry to ask tough questions about the roots of ongoing social issues and challenging problems.
Confident
We provide tools and resources to enable everyone to walk confidently into their life experiences knowing they have the ability to make a difference.
