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.

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.

Our stories help us understand one another. They reveal not only our different journeys but also what we share 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.

Join us for a Welcoming Week Workshop – August 20th!

On Thursday, August 20th from 1:00 pm CT – 2:15 pm CT (12 pm MT – 1:15 pm MT) we will be hosting a virtual workshop dedicated to help you plan your Welcoming Week event and an opportunity to connect and share with others the best practices that you have used to plan your events in past years.

This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with folks hosting Welcoming Week events all across the state and those who are hosting their first event. Whether you are new or have hosted an event before, this is an opportune time to share your experiences and learn along the way.

Fill out this quick sign up form so we can send you the virtual meeting invite! 

Topics we will go over: 

• Outreach/Promoting your event. 
• Generating ideas on what type of event you can host (there is still plenty of time to plan!) 
• Ask any questions you might have with local experts from across Nebraska.
• Connect with others who can help or learn from what you are doing. 
• And more topics!

Resources to help plan your event & participate at home, virtually or in your workplace/community group!

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.

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.

Let us know your Welcoming Week plans & schedule a time to connect with us!

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. 

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)

NEW Resources you can use during Welcoming Week & Beyond!

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.

1. What is the American dream?
2. What is the American promise?
3. When in your American life have you felt most free?
4. Who are this country’s founding mothers? What would this country be if it were founded by women?
5. If money were light, how much would the U.S. have to spend?
6. 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.