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Published on May, 42 2017
Join Us!
Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom - U.S.
33rd Triennial Congress
Thursday July 27th – Sunday July 30th
University of Illinois at Chicago
Student Center West, 2nd Floor Conference Rooms
828 South Wolcott Ave ● Chicago IL 60612
Join other strong & feisty women from across the U.S. who are rising up and organizing for action to create an effective, sustainable global grassroots movement. Designed to be a working Congress, each conference segment is inspired by theme: Rise Up, Revolt, Remember, Reimagine and Reclaim. Attendees will sharpen their activist skills and enhance their knowledge of key issues worked on by WILPF members back home. Collaborative workshops with next-step action items make this Congress a go-to-event for building strong alliances and forming a more peaceful and just world.
Congress Headquarters:
The conference will be held at the Student Center West Conference Facility on the University of Illinois-Chicago Campus, within walking distance of Jane Addams’s Hull House, the first settlement house for immigrants in the U.S.
Lodging will be offered in dorms close to the conference facility. Most meals will be included in your registration, with a variety of on-your-own meal options available from the conference facility cafeteria and nearby culinary scenes in Little Italy and Greek Town. Take advantage of your trip and come early or stay late to experience Chicago!
See Registration and Chicago, for more details.
Program:
Chicago Activist Panel
Issue Workshops
Skill-Building Workshops
"March" to Hull House & Tour
Member Showcase
Entertainment & More!
Proposed Workshops:
Proposed workshop topics were selected based on feedback from a recent WILPF member survey. An email will be routed to branches and members to collect workshop content offers from those who would like to present or co-present on one of the proposed topics below.
Proposed Issue Workshops to complement WILPF’s Issue Groups:
- Global Warming: Food Sovereignty and Regenerative Agriculture
- Next Steps after Ban the Bomb to Peace and Freedom
- Going Local: Community Democracy Took-Kit - ordinances, resolutions, public banking, participatory budgeting
- Election 2018: Reclaim Elections, Restore Voting Rights, Protect Our Ballots
- Transforming Today’s Militarized Policing and Prison Pipeline
- Women Forced to Flee: Confronting immigration, migration, refugees, human & sex trafficking
- Our Bodies, Our Lives: Women’s Health and Reproductive Justice
Proposed Skill-Building Workshops:
- Building the Beloved Community: race, diversity and anti-oppression training
- Effective Advocacy: meeting with elected/appointed officials, lobbying, print and social media
- Solidarity Forever! Networking and collaborative movement building
- Story-telling to Change the Narrative toward Peace and Freedom
- Creative Communication: music, theater, street performance, puppets, banners, chalk, light art, and more
- WILPF US 101: expanding membership, starting and maintaining a branch, finance & fundraising, internships, ONE WILPF calls, and Solidarity actions
- WILPF US 102: collaboration with WILPF International to build a global grassroots WILPF movement, strengthening the Practicum and Local2Global seminars at the UN Commission on the Status of Women
See Schedule, for a daily overview.
Entertainment:
Harmony, Hope & Healing
Let your spirits rise with inspirational gospel-style songs and heartfelt stories performed by a small ensemble cast of this sought-after hometown Chicago group.
Harmony, Hope & Healing’s (HHH) mission is to create a safe environment where vulnerable individuals and families heal and rebuild through the restorative power of music. Founded in 2000 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 2003, HHH provides music programs at various shelters, residential facilities, community centers and the Cook County Jail, all located in some of Chicago’s most poverty-stricken and violent neighborhoods. Supporting women, men and children as they heal from traumas associated with homelessness, addictions, violence, incarceration and isolation, HHH strives to improve the quality of participants’ lives. Through the transformative power of music, HHH programs foster the development of key life skills, including stress management, communication and parenting; building a sense of community and nurturing hope for a better future. Participants also have the opportunity to perform with the HHH choir at public events which helps them gain self-confidence and exposes them to a variety of new experiences and people. HHH helps individuals become independent and emotionally and socially healthy members of society.
Member Showcase:
WILPF Branches will be given the opportunity to setup Branch Table Exhibits. A WILPF Tribute Video will also be produced to showcase all the members who make WILPF great! See Member Showcase, for more details.
Leadership Institute:
WILPF members are invited to attend the WILPF-US Leadership Institute, which will explore how skillful leadership can help branches build their vision, their direction, and more effective local work. During sessions held before the Congress and interspersed throughout it, participants will learn the skills and art of leadership especially needed for our times. To find out more, click here.
Scholarships:
Scholarships to help pay for Congress costs will be distributed as funds become available. If you would like to apply for a scholarship or donate to fund a scholarship, please contact Jan Corderman at jancorderman@msn.com or 515-205-4504 for more information.
Sponsors:
Our sincere gratitude for the generous sponsors who are helping to underwrite Congress to make it enjoyable and affordable for all. Contact Mary Hanson Harrison at HARRISON0607@msn.com or 515-771-6161 to find out how you can become a sponsor! See Sponsors, for more details.
For more information:
Contact Chris Wilbeck, Congress Coordinator, chris.wilpf@gmail.com or 515-229-6988.
