Envision a future driven by you

The future is nearly here.

Yancey Strickler, cofounder of Kickstarter, has written a manifesto for it.

Jennifer Walters-Michalec, Markita Morris-Louis and Tiffany Tavarez are investing in it.

Vanessa Briggs is shaping it with intrinsic values; Peter Gonzales, Manuel Portillo and Stephanie Sun are changing the dominant narrative about it; Anuj Gupta is building bridges to it.

And Daniel de Jesús is playing his way toward it.

So come envision the future with us at ADVANCE by Generocity, presented by the Knight Foundation, which takes place this Friday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Philadelphia campus of Harrisburg University. It starts with mindfulness and books — and ends with a call to action.

On the Goga will lead a morning mindfulness session while Strickler signs copies of his book, This Could Be Our Future, at a VIP meet-and-greet.

Strickler is the keynote speaker, and he’ll be offering his ideas about building a society that’s generous, fair and ready for the future. (Here’s a bit of a preview.)

Walters-Michalec, one of the new additions to the roster of speakers, is the manager of community affairs at Capital One, and will join Strickler; Compass Working Capital’s chief strategy officer, Morris-Louis; and  Tavarez, Wells Fargo‘s vice president of community relations, in a post-keynote panel exploring the intersection of culture, technology, and social impact across sectors.

Daniel de Jesús. (Courtesy)

Another new addition to the roster, de Jesús, will provide music throughout the day and will play a 20-minute set after the panel. His tribal beats, ambient sonic spaces, and string arrangements with soaring vocals have been described as Baroque Pop and Neo-Goth. De Jesús has performed at venues across the world including the Park Ave. Armory, Millennium Park Theater, and World Café Live, and has worked as an arranger  for nationally recognized artists KD Lang and Patti Labelle. His current projects include collaborations with painter and performance artist David Antonio Cruz, singer songwriter Courtlyn Carr, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Pig Iron Theater, and playwright Andrew Albert García. (Listen to his music here and here and here.) De Jesús’ performance was arranged by AfroTaíno Productions.

Lunch by HUNGRY Catering follows, and then Briggs, the CEO of Brandywine Health Foundation, leads the first afternoon session (“Intrinsic Values Shape More than Your Personal Story”).

That is  followed by another session (“Changing the Dominant Narrative through Immigrant Integration”) led by Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians CEO Peter Gonzales, board member Stephanie Sun, and director of community engagement, Manuel Portillo.

The day’s programming culminates with a third presentation (“Building Bridges & Breaking Bread: Harnessing the Power of Community Engagement Models for Innovative Impact”) by Reading Terminal Market General Manager, Anuj Gupta.

The conference ends at 2 p.m., with a call to action.

There are still tickets available