Announcing Late-Breaking Featured Sessions and the Final Film Screening
We are thrilled to announce two new Featured Sessions for SXSW EDU 2025, rounding out the Featured program!
These sessions will tackle important topics including the mental health crisis featuring leaders in Girl Scouts of the USA and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, as well as a current Girl Scout – and exploring how the student debt crisis came to be and an alternative vision for higher education finance.
Plus, check out the final film screening added to the Film Program following six high school seniors pursuing their higher education dreams amid the turmoil of a pandemic year.
Dive in:
Featured Sessions
Mental Health: It Takes a Village
Girls as young as age 5 report feeling lonely, an indicator that the loneliness epidemic and mental health crisis among girls has spread farther and wider than we ever thought. This underscores the critical importance of fostering meaningful connections and building resilience in today’s youth. The discussion will feature a panel of experts who are leading the way and tackling this issue in their own communities as well as hearing firsthand from a youth voice. Panelists will elucidate the mental health challenges our younger generations face, as well as solutions for addressing loneliness.
Bonnie Barczykowski, Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of the USA
Christine Crawford, Associate Medical Director, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Dylan George, High School Student & Gold Award Girl Scout, Girl Scouts of the USA
The Student Debt Crisis: Past, Present, & Future
Nearly 70 years after the federal government first began offering loans to college students, student debt has reached crisis levels in America. How did this happen? How did a limited program of aid become a boon to banks and a $1.6 trillion boondoggle for the federal government? More urgently, what lies ahead for students and borrowers? This session will explain how the student debt crisis came to be and why it remains so difficult to address; examine the current administration’s policy blueprint; and outline an alternate vision for reforming higher-education finance.
Ryann Liebenthal, Author
Film
The Class
Directors: Jaye & Adam Fenderson
In the East Bay six high school seniors pursue higher education dreams amid the turmoil of a pandemic year. With resilience and determination, they face obstacles head-on, inspired by their college adviser, “Mr. Cam.”
Don’t Miss Out On SXSW EDU 2025
Register and book your hotel today to break new ground in education through compelling sessions, in-depth workshops, mentorship, film screenings, trailblazing competitions, a dynamic expo, networking opportunities, and so much more at SXSW EDU from March 3-6, 2025.
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SXSW EDU 2025 Featured Speaker photos (in order of appearance): Ryann Liebenthal photo by Duygu Daniels, Bonnie Barczykowski, Christine Crawford, and Dylan George photos courtesy of the speakers.
By Auva Saghafi
02/21/2025
