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10th SSEA Conference 2021 Goes Virtual!!

Given the members feedback in a recent survey and continued discussion by both the Governing Council and the Conference Committee, the 10th SSEA Conference scheduled for 4-6 November 2021 (Eastern Daylight Time [New York Time]) is going Virtual. The uncertainty brought on by the Covid-19 Pandemic, where members indicated their concerns around health, safety, and travel, has meant that the Virtual format is the best way for us to move forward.

timeline

1. Submissions open (General and Special Program) : OPENING SOON!
2. Submission deadline : 19 May 2021
3. Submission decision notifications : 15 June 2021
4. Early Registration (General, Special, and Pre-conference  Program) opens : 10 June 2021
5. Deadline Registration Presenters : 15 July 2021
6. Submission of Recordings (Some general program submissions) : 1 September 2021
7. Early Bird Registration ends : 30 September 2021
8. Conference : 4-6 November 2021

The conference committee is working hard on creating a conference experience worthy of its members and guests. Given the prominence of Social Justice and the Covid-19 Pandemic, we would like to encourage submissions surrounding these themes under the general conference theme "Well-being during Emerging Adulthood: Challenges and Opportunities." However, we seek to include health and well-being aspects related to all areas important during emerging adulthood.

Awards will be presented to SSEA members presenting at the conference, who are invited to apply or submit nominations for the following awards.

STUDENT Awards

1. Student Poster Awards (2 Awards: Undergraduate and Graduate student)
2. Distinguished Dissertation on Emerging Adulthood

General Awards

1. Well-being during Emerging Adulthood Award
2. Innovative Research in Emerging Adulthood
3. International Research in Emerging Adulthood
4. Social Justice Research in Emerging Adulthood Award
5. Remarkable Applied Contributions to Emerging Adulthood

To facilitate your planning, the committee would like to accommodate the following submissions types.

Preconference Program:

Topic Networks are invited to submit preconference sessions in line with the conference's general theme. These 3-hour sessions will be live online and will allow for interactive participation from delegates. The preconference program could include speakers, discussions, professional development workshops, workshops focused on teaching and learning, networking opportunities, or workshops. However, all possible formats will be considered. To be considered for any of these sessions, proposals must demonstrate the session's interactive/engaging nature. These sessions will be able to accommodate up to 50 participants.

General Program:

While we will consider all submissions, we encourage members to submit symposia. We are working on facilitating opportunities to make contact with potential symposia members.
Single Paper Submissions
1. Standard Paper Sessions (10 min prerecorded presentation, 5 min live Q/A)
2. Data Blitz (5 min prerecorded presentation, 4 min live Q/A)
3. Poster Submissions (Asynchronous – 5 min prerecorded presentation with each poster, Q/A through chat)
Symposia Submissions
4. Standard Symposia Sessions (3 x10 min prerecorded presentations, 15 min live Q/A)
5. Double Symposia Sessions (7 x 10 min prerecorded presentations, 20 min live Q/A)
6. Panel Symposia Sessions (Live interactive discussion between 2 to 4 panelists)

Special Program:

These sessions occur live and are interactive. Below, we propose two types of sessions. We allot 45 min for a single session or 90 min for double sessions. Participants pre-register for these sessions.
General Innovative sessions (15 - 40 participants)
1. General Discussion forums: Stimulating participant discussion/conversation which relates specific topics to the conference theme.
2. Master tutorials: A session in which presenters engage in active knowledge transfer (e.g., Networking skills, Managing collaborations).
3. Critical debate sessions: Facilitating an open discussion on either Social Justice or the Covid-19 pandemic.
Small-Group Innovation Sessions (8 - 12 participants)
1. Workshops: Guided instruction and training by experienced mentors on a specific topic
2. Hack-a-thons: Hands-on project with a clear end goal
3. Unconferences: "Unstructured" session to pitch & discuss ideas

We will consider proposals by individuals, research groups, or organizations. To be considered for any of the above sessions, proposals must demonstrate the session's interactive/engaging nature.

Networking/Social Program:

As a means to facilitate one-on-one interactions during the virtual conference, we are working on several strategies. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Meet the speaker sessions: Speakers make themselves available for small group discussions after sessions
2. Informal coffee rooms and meet and greets: Bring your coffee, join a networking group
3. Small group mentoring sessions: Senior academics engage informally with emerging scholars
4. Drinks and Social Activities: Some of which may carry an additional cost

We are confident that this temporary format will provide us with the opportunity to reach even more delegates who may not have been able to attend in person. Therefore, we are aware that we cannot do this independently. We rely heavily on you, our members, to make this conference another memorable event. In particular, we know that members have attended various online conferences over the last year. This experience is valuable, as we can learn from these experiences. Please share with us how we can ensure that our conference provides ample socializing, networking, and engagement opportunities online. We invite you to submit your ideas and suggestions to the Conference Committee via our temporary email sseaonline10@gmail.com by no later than 15 February 2021.