NEST Flight
NEST Flight is a multi-day virtual conference focused on career development for students and young professionals!
Role: Consultant
Client: Digital NEST
Location: Virtual via Zoom & Accelevents
Timeline: 8 Months
Date: 2021, 2022, and 2023
The Project
Digital NEST is a nonprofit that fosters economic equality by creating sustainable and scalable technology learning centers for Latinx youth in California! In addition to providing skills, resources, and a strong network for underserved Latinx youth, Digital NEST hosts an annual career development conference called NEST Flight.
The multi-day conference shifted to a fully virtual model in 2021 but the goal remained the same, to help youth focus on their future. Each year, the attendees, often first-generation college students, gather virtually to attend workshops and panels, receive mentor sessions, take part in a virtual job fair, and network with one another and conference partners! With impressive keynote speakers, like Co-Founder of Netflix, Reed Hastings, and 1:1 mentor sessions, this event offers underserved youth a chance to “think big” as they prepare for their future.
The ‘Why’
NEST Flight reinforces the Digital Nest mission of fostering economic equality for youth by offering additional support for those entering the college and career stage of life. The annual career development conference aims to help youth, often first-generation college students, focus on their career goals, prepare for internships, and learn from persons of color with similar backgrounds.
The Plan
Originally brought on to be the project lead as the conference shifted to a fully virtual model, Catherine’s work with NEST Flight began in 2021 and has changed each year since then. The first year Catherine managed the project and supported the Digital NEST team in transitioning the event from in-person to virtual by developing an updated plan, exploring digital platforms, and ensuring the event was still equally as engaging and supportive for attendees and partners!
In the following two years, Catherine transitioned to a mentor/consultant role as Digital NEST promoted a staff member to Event Lead. In this updated relationship, the Event Lead took on the majority of event planning while Catherine consulted to support her in solving problems, talking through challenges, and offering feedback, in addition to taking the lead on timeline and agenda building and leading on day-of production.
The Results
NEST Flight made a successful transition to a fully virtual event in 2021 and has continued to grow as a conference since then! While the success of the conference is clear from the testimonials of attendees and partners, the most noteworthy success of this project is the increased synergy between the organization, Digital NEST, and the conference, NEST Flight. This can be seen in the programming of the event and the integration of the most impactful parts of the conference, like the 1:1 mentor sessions, being offered more frequently throughout the Digital NEST standard curriculum.
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