Welcoming Week 2026
Stories We Share: The Courage to Connect
Welcoming Week: September 10-19 and beyond!
Each year, people and communities across Nebraska, the country, and globe – come together to celebrate what makes our neighborhoods stronger: connection, belonging, and the people who call them home. This is a wonderful time to connect with both new and longtime neighbors, celebrate diverse cultures and embrace the universal value of inclusion. Join the celebration by participating in an event centered around the arts, learning and understanding, celebration of cultures & identity, and the values that unite us during and beyond Welcoming Week!
This year’s Welcoming Week theme “Stories We Share: The Courage to Connect” reminds us that welcoming starts with a simple but courageous act: reaching out. It takes courage to introduce yourself to someone new, to share your own story and to ask a question with curiosity. These simple everyday moments are what transform strangers into neighbors, friends, and communities where everyone knows they belong.
Our stories help us understand one another. They reveal not only our different journeys but also that we share so much in common like values, hopes, and dreams. When we choose connection over assumption, curiosity over fear, and conversation over division, we create stronger communities where everyone thrives.
Here’s how to get involved & plan your event:
Explore the Welcoming Week Toolkit! This toolkit contains resources and guidance to support you in planning and promoting Welcoming Week events. You can find social media templates, media relations support, logos and other graphics, event planning guides and event examples.
Host a gathering that fits your community! Ideas you can do are: cultural celebrations, neighborhood dinners and shared meals, community conversations, volunteer projects, storytelling events, art activities, small business tours and so much more.
Share your event with us! Let us know what you are planning so we can add it to the Nebraska Welcoming Week calendar we will be sending out ahead of Welcoming Week. You can also upload your event on the national Welcoming Week map. (Keep up to date with this calendar to see events in communities across the state and country be added as Welcoming Week approaches!)
Please email your event information to Christa (cyoakum@neappleseed.org) & Eric (egarciamendez@neappleseed.org)
Connect with other Welcoming Week organizers!
Not sure if your community or anyone near you is hosting a Welcoming Week event? Or interested in collaborating with others in your area? We would love to connect you with other individuals and organizations that are planning Welcoming Week activities nearby.
Can’t host an event this year? Join a virtual event or participate in a Welcoming Week event here in Nebraska or outside the state if you are traveling – Welcoming Week is being celebrated around the world! Print a Welcomer sign for your office/business, post on social media, or use it during your next video call!
Help spread the message! Share your photos and experiences with welcoming on social media using the hashtag #WelcomingWeek2026. Follow Nebraska Is Home and Welcoming America on Facebook.
We are here to help!
Whether you are planning your first Welcoming Week event or your tenth, we’re here as a resource. If you’d like to brainstorm ideas, find partners, connect with others planning events nearby, or talk through plans, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
This year, we are offering some one-on-one options for you to schedule a short 15 minute virtual meeting with us so we can chat more! Click here to book a time to chat.
Together, we can continue building communities where everyone knows they belong.
NEW Resource to have meaningful conversations!
As we gather together over the remainder of the year, you might be looking for some simple tools to have some meaningful conversations. Try the Six Questions conversation guide from America, the Beautiful.
- What is the American dream?
- What is the American promise?
- When in your American life have you felt most free?
- Who are this country’s founding mothers? What would this country be if it were founded by women?
- If money were light, how much would the U.S. have to spend?
- For whom America, the beautiful?
The guide features six thought provoking questions designed to spark curiosity, encourage listening, and help people connect across different backgrounds and experiences. These questions can be incorporated into community conversions, shared meals, book clubs, classrooms, workplaces, faith communities or Welcoming Week events of any size.
Need some examples of how to gather? Explore the Recipe Box, which offers creative ideas and simple activities – including conversation guides and community gathering ideas. The resources are designed for schools, businesses, faith communities, organizations, libraries and neighborhoods looking to create welcoming spaces for all.