CIRCLE Cultural Café 2026

CIRCLE's 2026 Cultural Café:

Think Globally, Act Locally. Returning to Our Collective Power

Join us at your annual 'un-conference', and explore what it truly means to 'think globally and act locally' today.

How can you tap into our collective power to love, create, resist and be?

Throughout the day you will hear from esteemed keynote speakers, connect with fellow attendees, and participate in afternoon workshops. The workshops will be led by featured Café speaker, community guests, and STAMP student leaders.

This event includes a lunch to reconnect us to the land, plus a cultural mercado, where you can support local BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, and woman-owned vendors selling their unique art, jewelry, goods and more! 

Esteemed Keynote Speakers:

Dr. Maria Guajardo CEO and founder of MG Leadership Design. Her consulting and public speaking have taken her from Malaysia to Mumbai, Singapore to South Africa. Previously she served as Dean and Vice-President, at Soka University in Tokyo, with the distinction of being the first female and first non- Japanese in these roles. She was inducted in the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 2010 and awarded a Congressional Commendation for her contribution to education. Maria is a published author, her most recent book is titled, Global Leadership and Sustainable Futures (Emerald Press, 2025). Additional leadership positions include serving as Executive Director for Denver Mayor’s Office for Education and Children as well as Assets for Colorado Youth, a statewide organization. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and has degrees from Harvard and the University of Denver.

Carla Mestas M.A. has decades of experience in creating connection and brave spaces for challenging social justice work. As a well-known community leader, consultant, coach and peer mentor, she has the ability to connect with audiences of all ages and backgrounds. In her talks, she weaves ancestral wisdom, humor, anecdotes, and reflection informed by her extensive professional experience working in diverse contexts. Carla founded CIRCLE to address the gap in culturally relevant, identity-affirming youth leadership opportunities for BIPOC individuals navigating primarily white institutions in the Denver area. She is a Bonfils Stanton Foundation Livingston Fellow, a Denver Foundation Executive Director of Color Institute graduate, and a Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Visiones Leadership Program.

Engaging Afternoon Workshops. Plus an Auction for HOPE - Join us at the Café to win! 

Cultural Local Mercado - Featured Vendors: 

YAMZ: World of Color, Denver-based Artist Brayan Montes-Terrazas, using art and design as the vessel to show others that they are not alone in the fight toward equity justice and sound mental health. He uses his identities as a queer person, an immigrant and my mexican heritage to create bold and colorful work that uplifts marginalized identities.

WBA Art LLC, strives to give creatives the opportunity to tell their stories through art. Whether it be working with our artists directly to curate your story into a custom art piece/logo or book, taking home original artwork and media by our artists that resonate with your story, or learning from our experts how to draw your own story firsthand, heartfelt visualization into materialization is our mission.

Loom Colorado, started by Pamela in 2019 to bring her Ecuadorian roots to Colorado through handcrafted blankets and ponchos. Each item is created by the families in the Ecuadorian Sierra, who are experts in the art of weaving sheep and alpaca textiles on looms. Loom Colorado contributes the design and color combinations for each piece, and partners with five families, creating a collaborative circle that will continue to grow.

Xolashes, specializes in custom lash sets designed to enhance your natural beauty. Using high-quality products and precise techniques, every set is tailored for a flawless, long-lasting finish. Soft, glam, or bold— your lash goals start here.

Please contact Caite for assistance or any questions at cplunkett@circlestamp 

Visit our website to see our past speakers! https://www.circlestamp.org/multi-generational-learning