Annual Help Me Grow
Virtual Forum | September 20-23, 2021

The 12^th Annual HMG National Forum will consist of four half-days of presentations, featuring approximately 20 hours of content. The 2021 HMG Virtual Forum will be co-hosted by Help Me Grow Indiana and feature a series of presentations and sessions from the affiliate co-host. The agenda will include HMG Affiliate-led content sessions, poster presentations, exhibitor booths and speakers.

Ways to Engage

Help Me Grow affiliates are the heart and soul of the National Forum. Here is a brief overview of opportunities for affiliates to participate at the 2021 Forum.

FORUM PLANNING COMMITTEE

The Forum Planning Committee (FPC) provides an exciting opportunity for affiliates to represent the goals, interests, and needs of the Affiliate Network in the design and implementation of key activities to ensure that the Forum engages and supports affiliates. This year the National Center looks forward to establishing a FPC that can build on the successful contributions of previous Committees and also bring new ideas and strategies that maximize a virtual Forum experience for all attendees.

Affiliates interested in joining this year’s FPC can review roles, responsibilities, commitment, incentive and the application process here.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The 2021 Virtual Forum, like past in-person forums, will offer affiliate & partner-led learning opportunities for attendees. Descriptions and application information can be found below.

• Poster Presentations will enable HMG affiliates to showcase an area of their work relevant to the HMG system model. Posters often highlight affiliate innovations, engagement strategies for community partners and families and continuous quality improvement projects. Poster presentations are intended to be short in length and highlight high-level findings and strategies.
• Content Sessions will allow presenters to engage a targeted audience around a topic relevant to the HMG Model, early childhood health and system building. These topic-based sessions will be offered throughout this year’s Virtual Forum, with multiple concurrent sessions to allow attendees to choose sessions most of interest to them, as well as to allow the National Center to offer as many sessions as possible. Applications are open to affiliates and their partners as well as national partner organizations, and will be reviewed by the FPC according to criteria such as relevance, timeliness, level of anticipated interest and practical application. New this year will be an emphasis on ensuring these sessions are maximally suited to a virtual format and can remain engaging and interactive.

The Call for Proposals for both of the above opportunities will be released in March 2021. 

ADDITIONAL WAYS TO ENGAGE

Networking with other system building and early childhood leaders has become a staple activity in the HMG Annual Forum agenda. As we transition to hosting a virtual event, networking and connection has remained of the upmost importance for our network. This year’s HMG Virtual Forum will offer a series of opportunities for the HMG network to connect with one another. More information on how to engage in these opportunities will be shared as we arrive closer to the date of the event.

• Networking Sessions will enable every HMG affiliate, as well as HMG partners, to foster relationships among the network. Both semi-structured, informal and by-appointment networking will be available at the Forum.

• Virtual Event Appointment Features will enable every HMG affiliates and partners to create individual meetings with other Forum attendees. Attendees will be able to utilize their virtual event calendar to schedule meetings around the content sessions and speakers they have registered to attended.

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Pricing and Registration:

Pricing and Registration for the HMG Virtual Forum 2021 coming soon. 

Tips for Participating Virtually:

• Stable internet connection for joining live sessions and streaming on demand recorded content.
• Sessions for the Virtual Forum will be hosted live on the event website. Access to content will be included in attendee registration confirmation. A computer or mobile device with the ability to connect 2-way audio (listening & speaking) is required for joining sessions where active verbal engagement is encouraged or required (speaking via your computer or mobile device).
• Utilize the networking feature on the Event Website to schedule appointments with other attendees (in advance or on the day of). 

• Busy during the time of a live session? All live session content will be recorded and made available to attendees.