RSVP for Wisconsin Healthy Communities Summit

media release: The Wisconsin Bike Fed and Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation are partnering once again to host a one-day Wisconsin Healthy Communities Summit in Madison, Wisconsin. Attendees will learn from world-changing thinkers and innovators in the outdoor recreation world about how we build and maintain healthy communities. The summit will be held on Monday, April 29 at UW-Madison’s Memorial Union in the Great Hall. Registration is due April 19; there will be no day-of signup.

This year’s summit will feature experts from state agencies, speakers with industry insights, and the ability to attend hands-on learning sessions that get participants out of their seats and into action! Featured “topic tracks” will guide attendees through the programming at this year’s summit, and include: Education Empowerment, Changemaker Inspiration, and Trail Development Toolbox. There will be multiple breakout sessions related to these topics and more, led by local and national experts. 

“Outdoor recreation has always been part of Wisconsin’s DNA”, says Kirsten Finn, executive director of the Wisconsin Bike Fed. “Lately, there is a new energy in our state around creating great spaces to be outside: new mountain bike destinations, bike parks for kids, and miles added to our trail network to make active transportation safer and more fun. The Healthy Communities Summit will bring the people at the forefront of this work together to share best practices and provide inspiration. It is our hope that attendees from across the state who participate in this full day of presentations, roundtable discussions, and active workshops will take that energy home to their communities.”

“One of the Office’s strengths, explains Cassie Mordini, Director of the Wisconsin Office of Outdoor Recreation, is making cross-sector connections. In 2022, we partnered with the Wisconsin Bike Fed to bring this event to life, drawing attention to the nexus of health, outdoor recreation and economic vitality. We’re thrilled to co-host a second edition and are confident the lessons learned and connections forged at the Summit can lead to lasting change. Together, we’ll create healthy communities through expanded and improved outdoor recreation opportunities and drive our economy forward.”

Both organizations welcome nationally-recognized speakers Jessie Singer and Jonathon Stalls: 

Jessie Singer is a journalist, keynote speaker, and author of There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster -- Who Profits and Who Pays the Price, a Slate, Fortune Magazine, Mother Jones, and The Economist best book of the year. Her writing appears in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Nation, Bloomberg News, New York magazine, The Guardian, and elsewhere. Jessie is an expert in safe systems, injury prevention, harm reduction, traffic safety, and the ongoing rise in "accidental" death. 

Jonathon Stalls is a multidisciplinary walking artist who shares his work and stories through Intrinsic Paths, and is the author of WALK - Slow Down, Wake Up, & Connect at 1-3 Miles Per Hour with North Atlantic Books.

Tickets for guests to attend the 2024 Wisconsin Healthy Communities Summit are now available through the event website.

Schedule:

8:00am // Registration, Coffee, Networking

8:30am // KEYNOTE: To Be Announced

9:15am // Breakout Sessions

10:45am // Breakout Sessions

12:00pm // Lunch

12:30pm // KEYNOTE: Jessie Singer

2:00pm // Active Workshops

4:15pm // Closing Remarks & Reflections

4:45pm // Happy Hour Networking