|
***Forward Widely*** The Vermont Says No to War Conference Committee is issuing a Vermont-wide call for workshops, panels and training sessions for a statewide conference, September 9-10, 2005. We seek presentations/trainings along the lines of the themes listed below. Each should be 1hour and 15 minutes in length. To apply to organize a workshop, fill out the form at the bottom of this email and send to [EMAIL PROTECTED], no later than July 22. The Conference Committee also seeks volunteers to help organize the conference. The next meeting of the Conference Committee will be July 13, 5-6:30pm at the Peace and Justice Center, 21 Church Street in Burlington. If you live in a different region of Vermont and would like to be a regional conference organizing contact, please fill in the form below and send to [EMAIL PROTECTED]. ----------------------------------------- IN THIS EMAIL: I. About the Conference II. Conference Schedule III. National Anti-War Protests Planned for September 24-26 IV. Workshop Proposal form (fill out and return) ---------------------------------------- I. ABOUT THE CONFERENCE VERMONT SAYS NO TO WAR A Statewide Conference For Peace and Against War and Occupation September 9-10 plus Anti-War Organizers Meeting on Sunday, September 11. In March of this year, dozens of cities and towns across Vermont passed anti-war resolutions opposing the war on Iraq. Having suffered one of the highest per capita rates of war casualties, the people of Vermont have set a bold example of opposition to the Bush Administration's unjust war and occupation. To build on this anti-war sentiment, many organizations including the Peace and Justice Center, Military Families Speak Out, Veterans for Peace, American Friends Service Committee, Global Justice Ecology Project and the International Socialist Organization have come together this spring to form the Vermont Says No To War Anti-War Conference Committee. Together we are planning a statewide conference for September 9th through 11th. The conference aims to bring together the broadest possible network of people and organizations for an educational and activist event. The conference will offer trainings, plenaries and workshops that examine the international and domestic, social and environmental consequences of the war. These sessions will call attention to the interconnections between war and other issues. We will explore how war and occupation are related to corporate globalization, the destruction of the environment, attacks on labor, under-funding of social programs and institutions, and the undermining of our civil rights and civil liberties. We will highlight how the war in Iraq has fueled racism directed against Arabs and Muslims in the US and around the world. The conference will be both an educational event and a vehicle for mobilizing grassroots activism. In addition to educational workshops, activists will be trained in skills such as working with the media and organizing civil disobedience. On Sunday, the Conference will host a meeting for activist organizers from around the state to discuss and organize anti-war strategies and actions in Vermont. It will also mobilize for major September 24th Anti-War protests in Washington, DC. "Vermont Says No To War" thus flows from a democratic vision of social change. As the history of the twentieth century demonstrates, informed and educated mass movements have been the primary source of progressive change-from the labor movement winning Social Security in the 1930s to the various movements of the 1960s that won civil rights and ended the war in Vietnam. We aim to help our state's anti-war movement develop the clearest possible understanding of the war in Iraq and how we can end it through building a rich and diverse grassroots movement. -------------------------------------------------------------------- II. CONFERENCE SCHEDULE Friday September 9 (Location: University of Vermont CC Theater--proposed) Keynote Presentation: Michael Parenti 7-9 pm (Inaugural lecture of the Will Miller Social Justice Lecture Series) Saturday September 10 (Location: University of Vermont) 9-10 am Registration with bagels, coffee, etc 10-12 Plenary Session (to be announced) Noon-1:30 pm Lunch break 1:30-2:45 Workshop Block I (5-6 simultaneous workshops, panels or trainings) 3:00-4:15 Workshop Block II (5-6 simultaneous workshops, panels or trainings) 4:30-5:45 Workshop Block III (5-6 simultaneous workshops, panels or trainings) 5:45-7:30 Dinner Break 7:30-9:30 Keynote Plenary (To Be Announced) (Location: First Congregational Church, No. Winooski Ave, Burlington-proposed) 9:30-on Music Benefit (Location To Be Announced) Sunday, September 11 Anti-war statewide organizers meeting (time and Burlington location TBA) Themes for conference: (Four broad categories for workshop themes) I. The War at Home - Labor issues - Environmental issues - Civil Liberties - Racism II. The War Abroad - Israel/ Palestine - Haiti - Latin America/ SOA - Iraq & Afghanistan Wars - Africa - Global Warming/ Environmental Disasters - Corporate Globalization/ World Bank III. The Troops - Military Families - Veterans issues o Slashing of benefits o Post Traumatic Stress Disorder o Depleted Uranium - Conscientious Objection - Draft resistance - Counter-Recruitment IV. Building a Movement in Vermont - Vermont National Guard Resolution - Opportunities to Get Involved - Vermont Issues There will also be a room for political videos to be shown throughout the day on Saturday. If you have videos to contribute, please list them in the form below. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- III. NATIONAL ANTI-WAR ACTIONS CALLED FOR SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2005 United for Peace & Justice, International ANSWER, and other anti-war groups are calling for a national mobilization against the war in Iraq on the weekend of the fall meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Washington, DC. Global justice groups are also calling for demonstrations to link the military violence of the war in Iraq with the economic violence of the World Bank and IMF. To get on the bus to the events in DC in September, contact the Peace and Justice Center in Burlington. Bus tickets can be purchased at the Peace and Justice Store in Burlington for $75. To order tickets over the phone by credit card, call 863-2345 x3. For further info email [EMAIL PROTECTED]. We hope to be able to offer some scholarships for the bus trip to DC. Stay tuned for more details. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - IV. WORKSHOP PROPOSAL FORM (fill out and send back) Contact Name: Contact Address: Contact Phone and Email: Name of proposed workshop/panel/training: Co-presenters: Description of presentation (100 words or less): I have the following audio/visual equipment needs (keep in mind, the availability of equipment is very limited): Check the following that apply: ___I also have the following videos that could be shown: ___I live in or near Burlington and can provide housing for ____ participants. ___I want to be a contact to help organize participants from my region, which is__________________ email form to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or snail mail it to Chris Meehan, PJC, 21 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401 ---------------------------------------------------------- Global Justice Ecology Project P.O. Box 412 Hinesburg, VT 05461 +1-802-482-2689 ph/fax +1-802-578-0477 mobile To Join, click on http://globaljusticeecology.org/index.php?name=member and donate securely through Paypal, or donate by check through the mail. Global Justice Ecology Project Mission Statement Global Justice Ecology Project advances global justice and ecological awareness by identifying issues, creating strategies, organizing campaigns, building alliances and disseminating photographic images that demonstrate the interconnections between the social and the ecological, promoting a crucial holistic analysis to unify and strengthen movements. -- YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
|
