The Youngstown State University Office of Community Engagement will host its inaugural engagement conference on Tuesday April 18 in Kilcawley Center from noon until 4:00 p.m.

The event will begin with a luncheon and an interactive session with Mahoning Valley Historical Society Executive Director, Bill Lawson on the value of partnerships in furthering organizational goals.

Breakout sessions will then occur between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m., which will include oral and poster presentations throughout the building. The afternoon will wrap up with a plenary session featuring a panel discussion focusing on community engagement.

Topics that will be discussed include collaborative mural projects completed between YSU and Youngstown CityScape, Lit Youngstown and the Andrews Avenue Business Group, a student research project on opportunities to focus on the repopulation of the Youngstown area.

Additionally, attendees can visit Sight for All United's vision van, learn more about YSU's community engagement platform or attend a breakout session on the Honors Magazine Editing & Production seminar, as students share examples of serving with various community partners and how they visually told that story.