Join Us! WILPF US 33rd Triennial Congress

Join Us!
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom – US
33rd Triennial Congress
Thursday, July 27 – Sunday, July 30

University of Illinois at Chicago
Student Center West, 2nd Floor Conference Rooms
828 South Wolcott Ave
Chicago IL 60612

REGISTRATION OPENS AFTER 5/5!

More details coming soon! Check the Congress home page for updates.

Join other strong and feisty women from across the US 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 the 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.

The Program Includes:

• 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 US 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:

1. 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 and Sex Trafficking
• Our Bodies, Our Lives: Women’s Health and Reproductive Justice

2. 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
• Storytelling 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 and 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

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 US.

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!

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! More info coming soon.

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, visit the Leadership Institute web page.

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 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!

For more information, contact: Chris Wilbeck, Congress Coordinator, chris.wilpf@gmail.com or 515-229-6988.