March 5-6, 2026 | Wichita, Kansas

Bridging to Resilience

Cultivating Joy!

The Bridging to Resilience conference brings together educators, social workers, health care professionals, faith communities, and other helping professionals to share conversations, strategies, tools, and connections that build resilience in our classrooms and communities.

Emerging research reminds us that resilience isn’t built by struggle alone. Moments of joy strengthen the nervous system, lower stress, improve immune function, and deepen our capacity to cope and connect. Small practices like noticing beauty, sharing laughter, and gathering in community don’t distract from trauma work. They fuel it.

At Bridging to Resilience, we’ll explore both the science and the practice of increasing safety, dignity, belonging, and accountability in schools and communities. We want you in the conversation.

March 5-6, 2026

Where

Rhatigan Student Center
Wichita State University
1845 Fairmount St
Wichita, KS

Conference registration: $189

EARLY BIRD Pricing $149
(closes Dec 31)

Get registered today!

(Review the updated cancellation policy)

Check out the Schedule & Sessions!

In this community, WE BELIEVE:

we have the ability to change lives and increase equity when we build collaboration and resiliency across our communities. In this way, we both heal trauma and solve poverty in classrooms and neighborhoods.

working together makes a difference.
these are issues we can no longer ignore in our schools, our families, our communities, and our nations.

Meet the Keynotes!

Trooper Ben Gardner

Motivational Speaker | Growth & Leadership | Helping Others Go Further
Life is about growth—pushing past where we are today and discovering just how far we can go. I believe in perseverance, purpose, and the impact we can have on others when we choose to lift them up.
My passion for speaking comes from a lifetime of experiences that have shaped my understanding of leadership, resilience, and service. I share real-world lessons about overcoming obstacles, embracing challenges, and striving to be better than yesterday.
“Let all that you do be done in love.”
Carmen Zeisler

Restorative Practitioner, Author, Coach, Consultant, Director of Learning Centers at ESSDACK
Carmen is the Director of the ESSDACK Learning Centers, an Educational Consultant/Coach, and a co-founding member of the ESSDACK Resilience Team.
Carmen loves partnering with K12+ educators to grow Restorative Practices together. She leads the Restorative Practices in Schools initiative with the ESSDACK Resilience Team and is the author of four books designed to bring restorative practices to life in classrooms. As a Consultant and Coach, she is equally passionate about helping teachers build joyful reading cultures, often using picture books to connect social-emotional learning with science and social studies in ways that make learning come alive for everyone!