Build · Learn · Network · Protect

Turn screen time into skills.

A one-day cyber & tech convention to brainstorm, build, learn, and network — with live builds, security challenges, civics and ethics labs, and a supervised Juniors Room.

Date
Dates TBA
Time
9AM – 5PM
Venue
Venue TBA

Three labs, one day

Skills, judgment, and civic footing — junior to pro, ethics first. Come for one lab or move between all three.

Lab 01 · The throughline, first

Ethics Lab

Build and use technology responsibly. Provenance, consent, and child-safety by design — the module every learner touches before anything else.

  • Responsible disclosure & authorized use
  • Provenance thinking — know your sources
  • What happens when you engage engineered content
  • Write your own "build code"
Lab 02 · How it works

Cyber Lab

White-hat fundamentals taught the right way, on sanctioned, isolated ranges.

  • Digital hygiene & home-lab basics
  • Capture-the-flag on authorized ranges
  • Blue-team & (pro) red/blue exercises
  • Authorized-use rule, always first
Lab 03 · Why it matters

Civics Lab

How civic institutions work — and how to tell what's real in a noisy feed.

  • "Consider the Source" & media literacy
  • Spot manufactured trends & influence ops
  • Trace a claim to a primary source
  • Build a fact guide or local explainer
See all 12 sessions →

Schedule at a glance

A sample flow — final times posted closer to the event. The Juniors Room runs in parallel, fully supervised.

Main Hall

9:00Welcome — why we're here
9:20Keynote demo: device packages + provenance
9:50Ethics Lab: the module everyone starts with
10:30Civics Lab: spot the fakery (media literacy)
11:00Build track kickoff + Cyber Lab fundamentals
1:00Ethics Lab: responsible building panel (pro)
2:00Civics Lab: trace a claim to its primary source
2:45Civics Lab: educator intensive — teaching it forward
3:15Live CTF finals (sanctioned range)
4:00Showcase, awards & certificates
5:00Networking mixer

Juniors Room (supervised)

9:00Welcome + ground rules; what a white hat is
9:30How the internet works (hands-on)
10:15"Spot the Fakery" — junior media literacy
11:15Intro CTF #1 (sandbox)
12:00Lunch + family digital-safety session
1:00Build-your-first-thing workshop
2:00Junior CTF #2 (showcase qualifier)
3:00Civics juniors: make a mini fact-guide
4:00Junior showcase + certificates

Who it's for

Anyone who wants to trade wasted screen time for real skills.

Families

Safe devices, family digital safety, and a supervised room for kids.

Students

Junior-to-pro tracks, CTFs, scholarships, and mentors.

Educators

Media-literacy tools and curriculum you can take back to class.

Orgs & campaigns

Full computing systems that run our apps and connect locally.

Faculty

Inventors, defenders, scholars, and ethicists — people who built the thing, defended the thing, or spent a career thinking hard about whether we should have built it at all.

The Inventor

Keynote. Made something that's now in everyone's hands — and will tell you how it really happened.

The Defender

Senior cyber practitioner who has run real incident response. Anchors the Cyber Lab.

The Constitutionalist

Scholar who teaches how institutions work — method, never conclusions.

The Ethicist

Has made an actual call with actual stakes. Chairs the Ethics Lab.

No faculty are confirmed yet — and we won't print a name until they've signed. Every open seat, what it asks, and what it pays is published. See the open seats & nominate someone →

Passes & experiences

Three bands running across one day. Families and students are always welcome — that never changes. Above that sits a working professional day and a closed-door executive evening, plus experiences you can add to any pass.

Open Floor · Community rate – $95

All day. Expo floor, main stage, the supervised Juniors Room, media-literacy materials.

Pro Day · $250 – $2,500

Hands-on workshops, sanctioned CTF range, the runway, roundtable seats, faculty Q&A.

Executive Evening · $10K – $100K

Closed-door briefings, boardroom tables, written assessments, year-round advisory.

Add on autograph sessions, photo ops, runway front row, roundtable observer seats, small-group meet & greets, and faculty dinner seats — from $40. Full pricing →

Sponsors

Sponsorship pays the faculty honoraria and underwrites the community seats. That's the trade — you fund the people on stage and the families in the room.

Community · $5,000

Underwrites ~50 family seats. Logo, program listing, shared expo table.

Gold · $35,000

Underwrites a full faculty seat outright. Premium placement, named in the annual report.

Juniors Room · $50,000

Funds the entire supervised room — mentors, screening, and take-home device packages.

Presenting · $100,000

Named alongside the event across every surface. Capped at one.

Or take a single activation — runway, CTF range, scholarship fund, badge & lanyard, quiet lounge. Tiers, comparison table & activations →

Become a sponsor Sponsor a faculty seat

Getting there

Venue and city to be announced — check back soon, or register and we'll email you the details.

Reserve your spot

Seats and Juniors Room spaces fill fast. Registration includes a waiver + (for minors) parent/guardian consent.

Register now

Registering a minor? A parent/guardian completes consent at sign-up. Open to families and students.

FAQ

Is it safe for kids?

Yes. The Juniors Room is fully supervised with screened, background-checked mentors and a two-adult rule. All lab activity runs on isolated, sanctioned infrastructure — never anyone else's networks.

Do I need experience?

No. Every lab has a beginner track. Come curious.

Is the content partisan?

No. The Civics Lab teaches how to evaluate claims and sources — not what to conclude. It hands you the tools and lets you navigate for yourself.

Are the speakers confirmed?

Not yet — and we won't print a name until they've signed. No "invited," no "in talks with," no "past attendees have included." The faculty page lists the open seats, what each one is asked to do, and what it pays. If a name appears there, that person said yes in writing.

Why does the executive evening cost so much?

Because that money is what makes the sponsored seats possible. Sustained, closed-door time with faculty is the scarce thing, so it's priced like it — and the proceeds fund the honoraria, the Juniors Room, and every underwritten family and student pass. Full breakdown on the passes page.

What does "white-hat" mean here?

Ethical, authorized security work only — on systems you own or have written permission to test. The ethics-and-law module comes first, always.

What's included in a sponsored pass?

The expo floor, the main stage, the supervised Juniors Room, and the media-literacy materials — all day. Hands-on workshops and the sanctioned CTF range are part of the Pro Day pass. See the passes page.

Can I get accessibility accommodations?

Yes. Every page here can be read aloud, and the venue and materials are planned for wheelchair access, captioning on main-stage sessions, and quiet space. Tell us what you need when you register and we'll make it work.

Refunds & transfers?

Sponsored passes can be released anytime so the seat opens for someone else. Paid passes are transferable to another person; refund terms are shown at checkout. Questions: kristen@bornbetween2generals.com.

"Cyber, Tech & Civics Convention" is a working title — event name, marks, and all copy clear McAuliffe (IP/TM) and Olson (commercial) before public launch. Dates, venue, and schedule are placeholders.