WILPF US 33rd Triennial Congress｜WILPF US | Women's International League for Peace and Freedom since 1915

A Great Congress!

Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom – U.S.
33rd Triennial Congress

Thursday July 27^th– Sunday July 30^{th, 2017}
University of Illinois at Chicago
Student Center West, 2^nd Floor Conference Rooms
828 South Wolcott Ave ● Chicago IL 60612

Congress is over, but the experience lives on!
Go to News from Congress for videos, reports and photos highlighting events and experiences.

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 a 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:

Peace Activist Panel
Chicago Activist Panel
Issue Workshops
Skill-Building Workshops
Walk to Hull House & Tour
Member Showcase
Entertainment&more

See Program, Speakers and Schedule for more details.

Speakers:

Thursday, July 27 Evening Plenary: Peace Activist Panel

Phyllis Bennis Director, New Internationalism Project, Institute for Policy Studies
Leah Bolger Coordinating Committee Chair, World Beyond War
Kathy Kelly Co-Coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Ellen Thomas Co-Chair, WILPF US Disarm/End Wars Committee

Friday, July 28 – Morning Plenary

Larry Spivack President, Illinois Labor History Society

Friday, July 28 Evening Plenary: Chicago Activist Panel

Olga Bautista Community Organizer, Southeast Environmental Taskforce
Mary Dean Organizer for World Beyond War, WILPF US Member
Jeanette Hernandez Longtime Active Member of AFSCME Local 1989
Pam Smith Co-Founder & Executive Director, Addie Wyatt Center, Chicago and Kingian Nonviolence Trainer

Saturday, July 29 Afternoon Plenary

Stefanee Parks-Asche Director, Illinois Labor History Society
Mary Hanson Harrison President, WILPF US

See Program, Speakers and Schedule for more details.

Workshops:

Workshop topics were selected based on feedback from a recent WILPF member survey. Sessions focus on issue and skill-building topics presented in a participatory discussion format.

See Program, Speakers and Schedule for more details.

Member Showcase:

A WILPF Tribute Video will be produced to showcase all the members who make WILPF great! Submit your photos and videos by July 1st (deadline extended). WILPF Branches (and committees) will be given the opportunity to setup Branch Table Exhibits. Reserve your table by July 1st (deadline extended). The Des Moines WILPF Branch will be hosting a Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards (JACBA) Corner on Friday and Saturday. 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.

Entertainment:

Voices – Thursday night

For 35 years, 8 recordings (including the 2015 release of Sailing Free), and evolving generations of musicians, Voices has been a mainstay in the Chicago political-folk scene. Primarily a choral group singing a capella or with minimal accompaniment, Voices dedicates their music to seeking social justice through a multicultural message of peace. Selections include an embrace of immigrants, sisters and brothers of all walks of life, the planet, and a world without war. All Sailing Free sales continue to support Sarab Shada, a Voices’ member for three years, and her family who now live as refugees in Turkey.

Harmony, Hope & Healing – Friday night

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.

Scholarships:

Scholarships to help pay for Congress costs will be distributed as funds become available. If you would like to apply for a scholarship, please download and email your completed application to Jan Corderman, jancorderman@msn.com, Teresa Castillo, taca_03@ymail.com and Karen Pope kosbornepope@gmail.com by June 23rd. If you have any questions, please contact Jan Corderman at 515-205-4504. If you would like to make an online donation to fund a Congress Scholarship, go here.

Supporters:

Our sincere gratitude for the generous supporters who helped underwrite Congress to make it enjoyable and affordable for all. See Supporters, for more details..

For more information:

Contact Chris Wilbeck, Congress Coordinator, chris.wilpf@gmail.com or 515-229-6988.

News from Congress

This page is dedicated to videos, photos and stories recapping the events of WILPF’s 33rd Triennial Congress in Chicago July 27-30^th, 2017.

Photos from Congress

Walk to Hull House by D Nunns

For more photos, go to Photos from Congress here≫.

Videos Shown During Congress

WILPF Tribute Video	WILPF US Wonder Women Video
WILPF Tribute to Yvonne Logan	Rise UP Greetings from Cameroon
Greetings from WILPF International Executive Committee	Trinity School Award to WILPF

Videos Taken of Congress Sessions

Thursday Night Peace Activist Panel:
Phyllis Bennis: go here (from Martha Spiess); go here (from Ellen Thomas)
Kathy Kelly: go here (from Martha Spiess); go here (from Ellen Thomas)
Leah Bolger: go here (from Ellen Thomas)
Ellen Thomas: go here (from Ellen Thomas)

Friday Morning Plenary:
Larry Spivack: go here (from Ellen Thomas

Friday Night Chicago Activist Panel:
Mary Dean: go here (from Ellen Thomas)
Olga Bautista: go here (from Ellen Thomas)
Jeanette Hernandez: go here (from Ellen Thomas)
Pam Smith: go here (from Ellen Thomas)

Friday Night Entertainment:
Sophie of Harmony, Hope and Healing: go here (from Martha Spiess)

Saturday Morning Plenary:
WILPF International and the Commission on the Status of Women: CSW 61 and Practicum/Local2Global: go here (from Ellen Thomas)

Saturday Afternoon Plenary:
Stefanee Asche: go here (from Ellen Thomas)
Mary Hanson Harrison: go here (from Ellen Thomas)

Presentations at Congress
WILPF 101 Workshop: STARTING (OVER)

Reports from Congress
Women Cultivating Peace, by Mary Hanson Harrison, go here.
Report by Shivani Pandey, go here.
Report by Candace Perry, go here.
Next Steps on Ban the Bomb, by Robin Lloyd, go here.

Congress Experience Survey Results
For a summary of the results from the Congress Survey, go here.
To see the ratings for all aspects surveyed, go here.
To see the complete list of open-ended responses, go here.

Photos from Congress

Below are photos of Congress, submitted by attendees (shown in no particular order).

From Chris Wilbeck, Congress Coordinator:

Mary Hanson Harrison Welcomes Group Thur

Sunday Singing Grannies

Pre-Congress Work with DM Branch

Loading the Van for Congress

From Chris Henning:

Harmony, Hope and Healing Peace Song

Tina from Harmony, Hope and Healing Singing with Meaning

Video at Hull House

In Hull House

From Cherrill Spencer:

Award from Trinity School

Palo Alto/Peninsula Branch Table Exhibit

Reimagine Banner

Larry Spivack, Fri Morning Plenary Speaker

From Cindy Domingo:

Pam Smith, Fri Night Peace Activist Panel

Robin Lloyd

Stefanee Parks Asche, Sat Afternoon Plenary

Workshop

From D Nunns:

Virginia Pratt

Hull House Banner

Hull House Model

Chicago Mural

From Christa Perdue:

Rise Up Chicago

Beach Break

Jane Addams

From Ellen Thomas:

Honoring Peggy Lipschultz

Thur Night Plenary Panel

Waiting for Bus to Hull House

Workshop with Leah Bolger

From Liz Remmerswaal:

Liz Remmerswaal and Nancy Price

Marybeth Gardam

Passed

Liz and Pam Taylor

From Robin Lloyd:

Nancy Price and Thur Night Panel

Singing: D Nunns, Darien De Lu, Cappy Israel, Mary Hanson Harrison

From Leah Bolger:

Drones Quilt Project Posters

Hull House

Mary Dean

Phyllis Bennis & Leah Bolger

From Martha Spies:

Drones Project Quilt Square

Olga Bautista

Peggy Lipschultz

Walk to Hull House

WILPF President’s Message

Women Organizing for Action
Putting Imagination to Work Congress 2017

By Mary Hanson Harrison
President, WILPF US Section

Mary Hanson Harrison A little girl was rushed during the night into a bomb shelter in Israel, near the Syrian border. Cold and scared, she could not sleep. To quiet her fears, her father told her: “Picture a little girl just across the border in Syria who is also in her bed and afraid of the noises, and wish her sweet dreams.” Yifat Susskind, Executive Director of MADRE, was that little girl who imagined the possibility of another little girl just like her, huddled in another cigarette smoke filled shelter. It was a revelation that night, Susskind tells us in her TEDx talk, “Fighting the Poverty of Imagination: Building a Future That Never Was,” that there actually were children in Syria, that the “other” existed as a human being. This expanding of her imagination guides her work today.

Whatever the reality of the moment an event, a challenge, an opportunity, a call to action, or a loving suggestion like that of Yifat’s father how long does it take for that moment of imagining to be realized

The freedom to imagine and to create is essential to the survival of humankind. As Jane Addams noted more than a century ago, in Democracy and Social Ethics, “much of the insensibility and hardness of the world is due to the lack of imagination which prevents a realization of the experiences of other people.” This is the starting point for changing the system.

Since WILPF’s founding, we have held to creating a world of peace and freedom. Over the decades WILPF US has taken up many issues in our campaigns, issue committees, and branch and member work to do just that: realize this hope, this dream of peace and freedom.

At the end of July 2017, by coming together in Chicago, on the University of Illinois Chicago campus, we have the opportunity to imagine again how we can, in renewed commitment to “next steps,” move closer to this imagined world of peace and freedom. We are faced with the great challenge of building a resilient, creative force to counter the policies being propagated within the new US administration and cabinet, Congress, and the military/industrial/security state complex.

To rise to this challenge and opportunity, this Triennial Congress will offer topic-oriented workshops to complement and strengthen the analysis and focus of the issue committees. There will be blocks of time for all members to meet with the issue committee they wish to work with, and there will be time for branches and at-large members to meet together. There will be skills workshops on diversity and anti-oppression, building effective alliances and networking, storytelling to change the narrative toward peace and freedom, and learning how to use media as a tool to accomplish our mission. This Congress provides the opportunity to move from imagination to creative and effective short- and long-term goals over the next three years, leading toward the 34th Triennial.

This may seem a huge task, but it is the possibilities that imagining can bring to the reality of our world today that give us compassion when we are angered, faith when all around seems darkened, and courage to rise up together!

Let’s not forget that soon after the signing of the egregious Versailles Treaty in 1919, Jane Addams closed the 1919 International Congress of Women with this challenge: “We shall have to learn to use moral energy, to put a new sort of force into the world and believe that it is a vital thing the only thing, in this moment of sorrow and death and destruction, that will heal the world. . . .”

Come join us in Chicago to learn from and to talk with one another and to bring forth the energy and creativity to put the power of our imagination to work!

Program

Thursday – July 27
RISE UP

12-5pm: Dorm Check-in

2-5pm: Chicago Bus Tour (Pre-Congress)
Chicago Neighborhoods & Diversity Bus Tour
Take a bus tour that traverses the neighborhoods of Bronzeville, Bridgeport, Chinatown, Pilsen, UIC/Little Italy and Greektown to grasp the rich social diversity of Chicago.
See Registration, for more details.

3-5pm: Congress Registration

6-7pm: Dinner Buffet

6:45pm: Welcome Mary Hanson Harrison

7-9pm: Evening Plenary: Peace Activist Panel
Peace, Protest and Policy: Women Waging Peace
Phyllis Bennis Director, New Internationalism Project, Institute for Policy Studies
Leah Bolger Coordinating Committee Chair, World Beyond War
Kathy Kelly Co-Coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Ellen Thomas Co-Chair, WILPF US Disarm/End Wars Committee
See Speakers for bios.

The military is the #1 user of fossil fuels, #1 producer of air, land and water pollution, and #1 contributor to global warming that creates extreme weather and harms people and Mother Earth. Our panelists will discuss “next steps” following the women-led initiative at the United Nations for a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons of mass destruction and the June 17 Women’s March and Rally to Ban the Bomb, in New York City. They will inspire us to consider short- and long-term sustained strategies and actions to take at this critical time to change direction toward a peace economy and peaceful world.

Entertainment:

Voices – Thursday night
For 35 years, 8 recordings (including the 2015 release of Sailing Free), and evolving generations of musicians, Voices has been a mainstay in the Chicago political-folk scene. Primarily a choral group singing a capella or with minimal accompaniment, Voices dedicates their music to seeking social justice through a multicultural message of peace. Selections include an embrace of immigrants, sisters and brothers of all walks of life, the planet, and a world without war. All Sailing Free sales continue to support Sarab Shada, a Voices’ member for three years, and her family who now live as refugees in Turkey.

9-10pm: Night Owl Topics
Time scheduled for ad-hoc informal meetings.

Friday – July 28
REVOLT

7-8:30am: Early Bird Topics
Time scheduled for ad-hoc informal meetings.

7-8:30am: Breakfast Buffet

8:30-9:30am: Morning Plenary
Labor and Democracy: You Can’t Have One Without the Other
Larry Spivack President, Illinois Labor History Society
See Speakers for bio.

9:30-11:30am: Workshops

Women Cultivating Peace: Global Warming, Food Sovereignty and Regenerative Agriculture (W1)
See Workshop Descriptions for more details.
Discussion leaders:Mary Hanson Harrison, Shilpa Panday, Patti Edwardson Naylor, activist for women in agriculture
Next Steps after Ban the Bomb to Peace and Freedom (W2)
Discussion leaders: Ellen Thomas, Leah Bolger, Cynthia Roberts
Knowing What’s Possible: Change the Story, Change the Future (W3)
See Workshop Descriptions for more details.
Discussion leader: Nancy Glock-Grueneich
Reclaim Elections 2018: End Stolen Elections, Voter Suppression & Gerrymandering (W4)
Discussion leaders: Michelle Laws, Nancy Price
WILPF 101: Expanding membership, starting and maintaining a branch, finance & fundraising, internships, ONE WILPF Calls and Solidarity Actions (W5)
Discussion leaders: Marybeth Gardam, Jan Cordeman, Elenita Muniz

11:30-1pm: Lunch (on-your-own)

1-3pm: Workshops

Women Cultivating Peace: Global Warming, Food Sovereignty and Regenerative Agriculture (W1) (repeat)
See Workshop Descriptions for more details.
Discussion leaders:Mary Hanson Harrison, Shilpa Panday, Patti Edwardson Naylor, activist for women in agriculture.
WILPF 101: Expanding membership, starting and maintaining a branch, finance & fundraising, internships, ONE WILPF Calls and Solidarity Actions (W5) (repeat)
Discussion leaders: Marybeth Gardam, Jan Cordeman, Elenita Muniz
Effective Advocacy: Meeting with Elected/Appointed Officials, Lobbying, Print and Social Media-Facebook, Twitter and more (W6)
Discussion leaders: Leah Bolger, Dace Zeps
Our Bodies, Our Lives and Human Rights: Aging, Disabilities and Reproductive Rights (W7)
Discussion leaders: Janet Slagter, Andrew Moreno, Eliza Garbutt
Community Empowerment: Change the Rules, Change the Outcomes (W8)
See Workshop Descriptions for more details.
Discussion leader: Nancy Glock-Grueneich
Creative Communication: Using creativity to inform, inspire and involve WILPF members and allies in our work for social change, with music, theater, documentary film, street performance, puppets, banners, chalk, art, and more! (W9)
Discussion leaders: Candace Perry, Janet Fitch

3-5pm: Issue Committee Roundtables and Brainstorming Sessions

After one hour, you are invited to move to another Issue Committee.

Middle East
Disarm/End Wars
Advancing Human Rights, CEDAW and Building the Beloved Community
Cuba and the Bolivarian Alliance: An Alternative to Corporate Capitalism
Corporations v Democracy and Earth Democracy

5-6pm: Dinner-to-Go

7-9pm: Evening Plenary: Chicago Activist Panel
What Has Peace Got to Do With It ? Chicago Standing Up!
Olga Bautista Community Organizer, Southeast Environmental Taskforce
Mary Dean Organizer for World Beyond War, WILPF US Member
Jeanette Hernandez Longtime Active Member of AFSCME Local 1989
Pam Smith Co-Founder & Executive Director, Addie Wyatt Center, Chicago and Kingian Nonviolence Trainer
See Speakers for bios.

Harmony, Hope, & Healing Harmony, Hope & Healing – Friday night
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.

9-10pm: Night Owl Topics
Time scheduled for ad-hoc informal meetings.

Saturday – July 29
RECLAIM

7-8:30am: Early Bird Topics
Time scheduled for ad-hoc informal meetings.

7-8:30am: Breakfast Buffet

8:30-9:30am: Morning Plenary

WILPF International and the Commission on the Status of Women: CSW 61 and Practicum/Local2Global
See Workshop Descriptions for more details.
Discussion Leaders: Melissa Torres, Dixie Hairston, Eliza Garbutt, Andrew Moreno, Barbara Nielsen

9:30-11:30am: Workshops

Knowing What’s Possible: Change the Story, Change the Future (W3) (repeat)
See Workshop Descriptions for more details.
Discussion leader: Nancy Glock-Grueneich
A Conversation on Building the Beloved Community (W10)
Discussion leaders: Sylvia Metzler, Courteney Leinonen, Joan Brannigan, Barbara Nielsen
Women Forced to Flee: Confronting Immigration, Migration, Refugees, Human and Sex Trafficking (W11)
Discussion leaders: Nancy Matthews, Berhane Hailemichael, Melissa Torres, Dixie Hairston, Eliza Garbutt
Solidarity Forever! Networking and Collaborative Movement Building (W12)
Discussion leaders: Leah Bolger, Cindy Domingo, Barbara Nielsen, Andrew Moreno
International WILPF: Working with WILPF International to build a global grassroots WILPF movement, strengthening the PracticumLocal2Global seminars at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (W13)
Discussion leaders: Melissa Torres, Dixie Hairston, Regina Birchem, Barbara Nielsen, Nancy Price, Eliza Garbutt

11:30-12:30pm: Lunch Buffet

12:30-2:30pm: Community Gatherings for Roundtable Discussions and Brainstorming
Please join a “community gathering” based on the suggested conjunction of Issue Committee and Workshop topics. After one hour, you are invited to join another “community.”

The outcome of each gathering’s discussion will be presented Sunday at Part II: Rise Up & Reclaim Next Steps Toward Peace and Freedom. Sunday’s discussion can guide post-Congress Program and Issue Committee refinements of “next steps,” including strategy and tactics, as we embrace the challenges and opportunities of the 2018 and 2020 election years.

Community 1: Building a Diverse Peace Movement for Human Rights and Social, Political, Economic, Racial, Environmental and Climate Justice (C1)
Building the Beloved Community, Solidarity Forever/Networking, Advancing Human Rights/CEDAW, Women Forced to Flee, Our Bodies/Our Lives, Women Cultivating Peace, Earth Democracy, and WILPF 101.

Community 2: Move the Money: From War to a Peace Economy (C2)
Middle East, Disarm/End Wars, Cuba and the Bolivarian Alliance, Ban the Bomb, Corporations v Democracy, Knowing What’s Possible: Change the Story/Change the Future, Advancing Human Rights/CEDAW, and International WILPF.

Community 3: System Change Community by Community (C3)
Effective Advocacy, Elections 2018, Community Empowerment: Change the Rules/Change the Outcomes, Creative Communications, and Corporations v Democracy.

REMEMBER
3-4pm: Afternoon Plenary
Women Labor for Equal Pay for Equal Work: Chicago’s Past, Present & Future
Stefanee Parks-Asche Director, Illinois Labor History Society

Jane Addams: From Imagination to Action
Mary Hanson Harrison President, WILPF US
See Speakers for bios.

4-5pm: Walk Towards Peace & Freedom
From the past to the future, we walk towards peace and freedom.
We will walk “onward” to Hull House as a group, remembering and honoring the humanity of Jane Addams and her colleagues and the immigrants and refugees that made Hull House work. We will also walk with renewed commitment to move closer to the imagined world of peace and freedom.
Bring a white blouse/shirt to wear on the walk. For those unable to walk to/from the conference facility to Hull House (1.5 miles each way), or in case of inclement weather, a school shuttle bus (non-ADA) will be provided.

5-7pm: Hull House Tour (self-guided)

7pm: Dinner (on-your-own)

Sunday – July 30
REIMAGINE

7-8:30am: Early Bird Topics
Time scheduled for ad-hoc informal meetings.

7-8:30am: Breakfast Buffet

8:30-12:00 Noon
Women Organizing for Action

8:30-10:30: Part I: Voices of the Board
Individual Board Member Talks, By-Laws, Nominations & Elections, Minigrant Awards

10:30-11:30: Part II: Rise Up & Reimagine
Reports and Statements of Next Steps to Peace and Freedom

11:30-12pm: Celebrating WILPF Wonder Women & Raging Grannies

12-2pm: Dorm Check-out

1-3pm: Board Training

Schedule

Thursday 7/27	Friday 7/28	Saturday 7/29	Sunday 7/30
RISE UP	REVOLT	RECLAIM	REIMAGINE
	7-8:30am Early Bird Topics	7-8:30am Early Bird Topics	7-8:30am Early Bird Topics
	7-8:30am Breakfast Buffet Room Thom C	7-8:30am Breakfast Buffet Room Thom C	7-8:30am Breakfast Buffet Room Thom C
	8:30-9:30am Plenary Room Thom A	8:30-9:30am Plenary Room Thom A	8:30-10:30am Voices of the Board Room Thom C
	9:30-11:30am Workshops W1-Room 206 W2-Room Thom A W3-Room 213 W4-Room Thom B1 W5-Room Thom C	9:30-11:30am Workshops W3(rep)-Room 213 W10-Room Thom B1 W11-Room Thom A W12-Room Thom C W13-Room 206	10:30-12noon Rise up & Reimagine Room Thom C
12-5pm Dorm Check-in	11:30-1pm Lunch on-your-own	11:30-12:30pm Lunch Buffet Room Thom C	12-2pm Dorm Check-out
2-5pm Chicago Bus Tour (Pre-Congress Excursion) Meet in front of Polk St. Dorm	1-3pm Workshops W1(rep)-Room 206 W5(rep)-Room Thom C W6-Room Thom B1 W7-Room Thom B2 W8-Room 213 W9-Room Thom A	12:30-2:30pm Community Gatherings: C1-Room Thom A C2-Room Thom B1 C3-Room Thom C	1-4pm Board Training Room Thom B1
REMEMBER
3-5pm Congress Registration	3-5pm Issue Committee Rountables 1. Middle East: Room 206 2. Disarm/End Wars: Room Thom A 3. Advancing Human Rights Room 213 4. Cuba & Bolivarian: Room Thom C 5. Corp vs Dem: Room Thom B	3-4pm Plenary Room Thom A
		4-5pm Walk to Hull House
6-7pm Dinner Buffet Room Thom C 6:45pm: Welcome	5-6pm Dinner-to-Go	5-7pm Hull House Tour Snacks & Beverages
7-9pm Peace Activist Panel Room Thom A	7-9pm Chicago Activist Panel Room Thom A	7pm Dinner on-your-own
9-10pm Night Owl Topics	9-10pm Night Owl Topics

See Program, Speakers and Schedule for more details.

*Schedule is tentative. Exact start times may be modified. Look for updates closer to the date of the event.

Speakers

Thursday, July 27 Evening Plenary: Peace Activist Panel
RISE UP
Peace, Protest, and Policy: Women Waging Peace

Phyllis Bennis
Director, New Internationalism Project, Institute for Policy Studies

Fellow Phyllis Bennis directs the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, working as a writer, activist and analyst on Middle East and UN issues. She is also a fellow of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. In 2001, she helped found and remains active with the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights. She works with many anti-war organizations, and writes and speaks widely across the U.S. and around the world as part of the global peace movement. She has served as an informal adviser to several top UN officials on Middle East and UN democratization issues.

Phyllis has written and edited eleven books. Among them are:

Understanding ISIS & the New Global War on Terror: A Primer
Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
Before & After: US Foreign Policy and the War on Terror
Challenging Empire: How People, Governments and the UN Defy U.S. Power

Leah Bolger
Coordinating Committee Chair, World Beyond War

Leah Bolger is a national and international peace and justice activist. She serves as the Chair of the Coordinating Committee of World Beyond War. She retired from the U.S. Navy at the rank of Commander after twenty years of active duty service. She was elected as the first female President of Veterans For Peace (VFP), and in 2013 was selected to present the Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Memorial Peace Lecture at Oregon State University. She is the Chair of the VFP working group on drones, and is the Coordinator of the Drones Quilt Project. She founded the Corvallis Branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF US) in January 2014. She is also a Board member of the War Prevention Initiative.

Kathy Kelly
Co-Coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence

Kathy Kelly is a Chicago-based peace activist, pacifist and author, one of the founding members of Voices in the Wilderness, and currently a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence.

During each of her 25 trips to Afghanistan as an invited guest of the Afghan Peace Volunteers, Kathy lived alongside ordinary Afghan people in a working-class neighborhood in Kabul. She and her companions in Voices for Creative Nonviolence believe that “where you stand determines what you see.”

From 1996 – 2003, Voices for Creative Nonviolence activists formed 70 delegations that openly defied economic sanctions by bringing medicines to children and families in Iraq. Kathy traveled to Iraq 27 times, during that period. She and her companions lived in Baghdad during the 2003 “Shock and Awe” bombing. They have also lived alongside people during warfare in Gaza, Lebanon, Bosnia and Nicaragua.

Kathy has joined with activists in various regions of the U.S. to protest drone warfare by holding demonstrations outside of U.S. military bases. In 2015, for carrying a loaf of bread and a letter across the line at Whiteman AFB, she served three months in prison. During April of 2017, she was part of a 6-day fast, urging UN members to use diplomatic tools to end the blockade of Yemeni ports and stop Saudi and U.S. airstrikes against Yemen, a country facing conflict-driven famine and alarming outbreaks of cholera.

See Kathy’s recent article, “Feed the Hungry. Treat the Sick: A Crucial Training.”

Ellen Thomas
Co-Chair, WILPF US Disarm/End Wars Committee

Ellen Thomas Ellen has been co-chair, along with Carol Urner, of the Disarm/End Wars Committee since 2008. For 18 years, 1984-2002, Ellen maintained a round-the-clock vigil for global nuclear disarmament north of the White House. In 1990, she was a co-founder of the Proposition One Campaign for a Nuclear Free Future, the only bill in Congress calling for global abolition of nuclear weapons that also provides funding for conversion of the war industries to provide for environmental restoration and clean-energy conversion. Ellen was co-founder of Peace House in Washington, D.C., 2002-2011, and Former Chair of the Washington, D.C. Peace Center Board, 2007-2008. Now living in Tryon, North Carolina, Ellen spends weeks on her “Nuclear Free Future Tour” speaking at WILPF US Branch meetings and sponsored events on the urgency to convert military spending to human needs.

Friday, July 28 – Morning Plenary
REVOLT
Labor and Democracy: You Can’t Have One Without the Other

Larry Spivack
President, Illinois Labor History Society

Lary Spivak Larry Spivack is President of the Illinois Labor History Society, perhaps the most distinguished organization of its kind, as it is the holder of the deed and steward to the Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument, in Forest Park, Illinois. The Monument, a National Historic Landmark, is where the Haymarket Martyrs are buried and is considered the most important labor site in the world. A former educator, Larry is also the Regional Director of AFSCME Council 31 in Illinois. He has worked as a union leader his entire adult life, active in union organizing, collective bargaining and staff development. Larry believes the labor movement is the most successful mediating institution in society: it helps to speed our progress toward a better quality of life and social justice, end discrimination, and promote democracy and peace. For this reason, he encourages everyone, especially teachers, citizens and activists to learn from the lessons of labor history. Larry gives labor history tours and is proud that the Illinois Labor History Society helped to obtain National Landmark Status for the Union Stockyard Gate in Chicago and the Mother Jones Monument in Mt. Olive, Illinois. The Haymarket Memorial in Chicago, Illinois, dedicated every year on May 1, was built due to the perseverance of 30 years of advocacy from the Illinois Labor History Society.

Friday, July 28 Evening Plenary: Chicago Activist Panel
REVOLT
What Has Peace Got to Do With It? Chicago Standing Up!

Olga Bautista
Community Organizer, Southeast Environmental Taskforce

Olga Bautista is a life-long resident and community organizer of Chicago’s Southeast Side, an aging industrial corridor between the Calumet River and Lake Michigan. She is Treasurer of the Southeast Environmental Taskforce (SETF) and a founding member of Chicago’s Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke to stop the Koch Brothers from stock-piling this toxic by-product of oil refining in this area. Often the air is so polluted, residents can’t enjoy the outdoors and many suffer from asthma and respiratory illnesses. Olga and her Southeast Side community activists are leading the way to a shift from dirty fuels and heaving industry that pollutes their environment to clear energy, sustainable businesses, and restored natural environment. Petcoke: Tracing Dirty Energy, was created through a partnership with SETF and other organizations and was exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago.

Mary Dean
Organizer for World Beyond War, WILPF US Member

Mary Dean is an Organizer at World Beyond War. She worked previously for various social justice and antiwar organizations, including leading delegations to Afghanistan, Guatemala and Cuba, and human rights delegations to war zones. She has done volunteer accompaniment in Honduras. Mary has organized and participated in various nonviolent direct actions and has gone to jail several times for civil disobedience to protest nuclear weapons, end torture and war, and shut down Guantanamo, including six months for nonviolently protesting at the U.S. Army School of the Americas (known in Latin America as the School of Assassins). In 1992, Mary “walked for peace” with 300 international activists in Palestine and Israel. Then, in 2008, Mary walked 500 miles with Voices for Creative Nonviolence from Chicago to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis to protest war. As a paralegal, Mary worked in 2016 for prisoner rights, initiating a bill in the Illinois state legislature to limit the use of solitary confinement in correctional facilities.

Jeanette Hernandez
Longtime Active Member of AFSCME Local 1989

Jeanette Hernandez is a longtime active member of AFSCME Local 1989 at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago where, since 1991, she has been a member of the administrative staff in the Department of World Languages and Cultures. She received her B. A. in Philosophy (1997), a B.A. in Sociology, and a M.A. in Political Science (2010) at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago.

Pam Smith
Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Addie Wyatt Center for Nonviolence Training.

Pam Smith is Executive Director and Kingian Nonviolence trainer. She is a public historian and long-time Chicago consultant for nonprofit organizations. Her team conducted the feasibility study that set the stage for the Chicago Freedom School. Pam has worked with many youth groups in the city and served as a senior press aide to Jesse Jackson in his 1988 presidential bid and to Barack Obama in his primary campaign for US Senate. Pam teaches U.S. history at community colleges and is coeditor of The Chicago Freedom Movement: Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights Activism in the North.

Saturday, July 29 Afternoon Plenary
REMEMBER
Women Labor for Equal Pay for Equal Work, Stefanee Parks-Asche
Jane Addams: From Imagination to Action, Mary Hanson Harrison

Stefanee Parks-Asche
Director, Illinois Labor History Society

Stefanee Parks-Asche Stefanee, Director of the Illinois Labor History Society, is a third-generation union member and a graduate of Purdue University Calumet (Hammond, Indiana) with a BA in History. She lives in Griffith, Indiana, where she is also a precinct committeewoman for the Lake County Democratic Party. She is a former organizer and member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 142 in Gary, Indiana, specializing in school bus campaigns. Her husband, Rick, is also a Teamster with Local 142. They have two children: Julia is majoring in accounting at Indiana University and John is a member of UFCW Local 881. Stefanee built her career from experience in a variety of roles and industries mostly in small companies and is known as not only the “go-to-girl,” but also the gatekeeper, technology whiz, bookkeeper and marketing guru. In her spare time, she attends rallies for labor and social justice and is an avid Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Cubs fan.

Mary Hanson Harrison
President, WILPF US

Mary Hanson Harrison is currently president of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section. Her life’s work began on an Iowa dairy farm, learning the importance of building community life and perseverance through difficult times. The ensuing years led her to peace activism and community service in diverse urban communities on the East and West Coast. Raising three children along the way and earning and Honors BA in History at the University of Iowa and MA in Literary Criticism and Theory at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois), she continued in her academic work focusing on feminist criticism with publications and presentations. Her teaching led back to working in nonprofit organizations advocating for the urban underserved, immigrants and refugees, teaching ESL and grant writing. Meanwhile, she is continuing her advocacy for women’s rights in agroecology and building a global grassroots ecofeminist movement. She also served on Jane Addams Peace Association Board and currently on the board of Stop the Arms Race (STAR*Pac).

Registration

Register by July 1^stif lodging is needed!
Registration still open for
July 27th and July 28th Nightly Panels!
(or until sold out)
See registration deadline below. Space is limited, so register TODAY!
You must be 18 years or older to register and attend.

Register Online ≫
(pay with credit card or Paypal)
Registration fees are per person. Online registration accepts payment by credit card or Paypal and requires a unique email per registrant.

Download Mail-In Registration Form ≫
If you are paying by check or do not have an email address, download and use the mail-in registration form above. If you are registering for more than one person per household and do not have a unique email address per registrant, use the mail-in form.

Coming for all 4 days of Congress

Register for Full Congress Access:
Includes ALL Congress Events*, Thursday night 7/27 – Sun noon 7/30
6 catered meals: Thurs dinner, Fri breakfast & dinner, Sat breakfast & lunch, Sun breakfast
Free Wi-Fi internet access.
*Pre-Congress Bus Tour is NOT included in Full Congress Access.

Full Congress Access with Meals & Lodging SHARED room $395
3 nights lodging: Thurs-Sat night in a SHARED room (see lodging details below)

Full Congress Access with Meals & Lodging SINGLE room $425
3 nights lodging: Thurs-Sat night in a SINGLE room (see lodging details below)

Full Congress Access with Meals, no Lodging $275

Or, coming for just a day or two

Register for Daily Options:

Daily Congress Access: Thursday – Sunday
*Pre-Congress Bus Tour is NOT included in Daily Congress Access.
$50 Thursday Night: all events*, dinner, no lodging
$100 Friday: all events*, breakfast & dinner, no lodging
$100 Saturday: all events*, breakfast & lunch, no lodging
$50 Sunday: all events*, breakfast, no lodging

Daily Lodging: Thursday – Saturday night
$40 per night SHARED room
$50 per night SINGLE room
Note: All night stays must be in the same type of room (i.e. SHARED or SINGLE), or the registration is invalid.

Meeting-Only (no meals):
$25 Thursday Night Panel (Low price!)
$25 Friday Night Panel (Low price!)

Early Arrivals/Late Stays:
A very limited number of rooms are available for Wednesday for early arrivals and Sunday night for late stays and can be reserved in the registration form until sold out.

Note: All night stays must be in the same type of room (i.e. SHARED or SINGLE), or the registration is invalid. For example, if you are coming early and are reserving a SHARED room on Wed night, you must reserve a SHARED room for your remaining night stays. Once checked in, guests cannot be moved to a different room.

(Optional) Chicago Neighborhoods & Diversity Bus Tour
Pre-Congress Bus Tour (not included in Full Congress or Daily Congress Access)
Thursday afternoon, 2-5 pm $25/person (special price for WILPF registrants!)
Take a bus tour that traverses the neighborhoods of Bronzeville, Bridgeport, Chinatown, Pilsen, UIC/Little Italy and Greektown to grasp the rich social diversity of Chicago. Expert tour guide. May include an additional stop, if time allows. Handicap accessible bus. Limited seating, so register early!

Registration Deadlines:

Registration must be completed online or a mailed copy received by July 1, 2017, if lodging is needed. Space is limited and lodging is filled on a first-come/first-served basis and cannot be guaranteed, so register TODAY! If NO lodging is required, then registration must be received by July 14^th. Registrations for the Meeting-Only Thursday and Friday night panels may be received after July 14^th, but seats are limited and cannot be guaranteed. You must be 18 years or older to register and attend. You may be asked to sign a waiver of liability.

Check-in:

Wed 7/26 (Early Arrival):

Dorm Check-in: 12-2pm and 5-7pm
Address: Polk Street Residence Hall (PSRH) (UIC Building 937) 1933 West Polk Street, Chicago IL 60612
See UIC Westside Visitor Map.

Thurs 7/27:

Dorm Check-in: 12-5pm
Same dorm address above.

Congress Registration: 3-5pm
Congress check-in will be at the conference facility, on the 2nd floor.
Address: Student Center West (SCW) (UIC Building 938) 828 South Wolcott Avenue, Chicago IL 60612
See UIC Westside Visitor Map.

Fri 7/28 – Sun 7/30 (Late Arrival):

Dorm Check-in: 12-5pm
Dorm staff will check you in.
Same dorm address above.

Congress Registration: Open 15 minutes prior to each session.
Same conference facility address above.

Refund Policy:

You will receive a full refund, if your reservation is cancelled by July 1^st. You will receive a partial refund (50%) if you cancel between July 1- July 14. After July 14, no refunds will be given. All cancellation requests must be in writing and emailed to the Congress Coordinator, Chris Wilbeck, at chris.wilpf@gmail.com. Please allow up to 5 weeks for refund processing.

Lodging:

Congress lodging offered is located on the University of IL-Chicago on the west side of campus in Polk Street Residence (PSRH) and Single Student Residence (SSR) dorms. The dorms are within a short walking distance to Student Center West (SCW) (conference facility).

Campus Map

Click here for a more detailed UIC Westside Visitor Map.

Rooms are grouped together in “clusters” that share one bathroom. You will be given 3 keys: one for the dorm, one for your “cluster,” and one for your room. The shared bathroom door is lockable from inside the bathroom. A $350 fee is charged for a lost key.

Standard linen is provided and includes a blanket, pillow, pillowcase, sheets, towels and a washcloth. Bring your own toiletries. No housekeeping service is provided. Dorm laundry facilities are available for use (bring your own detergent).

The dorms have snack and beverage vending machines. No ice machines.

SINGLE Room: Each single room has one twin bed. It is grouped in a “cluster” with 1 or 2 other single rooms. All rooms in the “cluster” share a bathroom (tub/shower combination) and a small kitchenette that has a refrigerator, sink and small stove (no table).

SHARED Room: Each shared room has two twin beds. It is grouped in a “cluster” with 1 other room. Both rooms in the “cluster” share a bathroom (shower stall). There is no shared living space and no refrigerators. There is a common area lounge on each floor.

SINGLE ADA-Handicap Accessible rooms are available. Please contact the Congress Coordinator for details.

Dorm Check-in:
Dorm check-in instructions will be posted in July.

Other lodging options:
If you do not wish to stay in the dorms, there are a few hotels within a short cab ride to the conference facility. Options include, but are not limited to*: Crowne Plaza (733 W Madison), Holiday Inn & Suites (506 W Harrison St), Hotel Chicago (1622 W Jackson Blvd). Booking lodging with hotels is the responsibility of the attendee.

*We do not endorse, verify or confirm any of the accommodation information provided in the hotel links above. It is best to contact the hotel for up-to-date information on accommodations, fees and services.

Internet Access:

Free Wi-Fi internet access is included in Full Congress Access registrations only.

Parking:

Parking is available on campus in the Wood Street Parking Structure, WSPS (1100 S Wood Street), approximately 5-6 blocks from the conference facility/dorms. See UIC Westside Visitor Map here.

A swipe card for unlimited 7 day in-out access is available for purchase from the parking office for $37. The parking office is in WSPS and is open Mon-Thurs, 8 am – 5 pm. Swipe cards must be returned to the parking office. Those leaving on Sunday must return their card via mail. Those staying later can return their card during regular weekday business hours. A fee of $20 will be assessed for cards not returned.

Parking is also available for visitors without a swipe card on a variable rate. If you leave your car in the lot, the daily rate is $13 per weekday and $8.50 per weekend. However, your car must be moved every 72 hours, or it will be ticketed/towed.

Variable Rate Parking:

Weekday Rates:
0 – 0.5 hrs = $4.50
0.5 – 1.5 hrs = $6.50
1.5 – 2.5 hrs = $8.50
2.5 – 3.5 hrs = $10.00
3.5 – 4.5 hrs = $11.50
4.5+ hrs = $13.00

Weekend/*Evenings:
0 – 0.5 hrs = $4.50
0.5 – 1.5 hrs = $6.50
1.5 – 2.5 hrs = $8.50

Additional Fees include:
Replacement Hangtag = $20.00
Towing Charge = $200.00
Replacement Swipe Card = $20.00
Boot Removal = $200.00

*Evening parking allows access between the hours of 3pm-8am (Mon-Fri & 24hr on Sat/Sun). Evening coupons must be used for entrance and exits only between the hours of 3pm and 8am. UIC Parking Services reserves the right to change all rates and fees without notice. For specific parking questions, contact Wood Street Parking Office 312-413-5800.

Scholarships:

For questions:
Contact the Congress Coordinator: Chris Wilbeck, chris.wilpf@gmail.com or 515-229-6988

33rd Congress Transportation

Transportation To/From Congress:

Conference Facility Address:
Student Center West (SCW) – (UIC Building 938) 828 South Wolcott Avenue, Chicago IL 60612
NOTE: the “South Wolcott” is very important. There is a North Wolcott with the same address, two miles away.

Dorms Address:
Polk Street Residence Hall (PSRH) – (UIC Building 937) 1933 West Polk Street, Chicago IL 60612
See UIC Westside Visitor Map.

Options:
The cost of transportation and travel arrangements to and from Congress are the responsibility of the attendee. Chicago is a transportation hub, serviced by two airports (O’Hare and Midway), Amtrak and Greyhound and other public transportation. Some helpful links follow*:

Amtrak: closest station is Union Station, 225 S Canal St, Chicago IL 60606
Approx. 10 min taxi ride to conference facility/dorm for estimated $7-12 taxi fare, depending on traffic.

Greyhound: closest station is 630 W Harrison St, Chicago IL 60607
Approx. 5 min taxi ride to conference facility/dorm for estimated $5-10 taxi fare, depending on traffic.

Which airport to use?
Your decision regarding which airport to fly into will be based on flight availability and airfare. Both airports offer transportation services to/from each airport as provided in the links below.

What transportation to use to/from airports?
Your decision regarding transit to/from the airport will be based on what you feel most comfortable using. There are many good options, as provided in the to/from links below. It is best to make to/from decisions closest to the date of travel, when transit authorities will have the most updated information regarding fares and what is available/scheduled.

For transport options to/from O’Hare, go here.
For transport options to/from Midway, go here.

Note: The WILPF Congress organizers are not arranging ride-sharing.

Public Transportation Options:

Chicago Transit Authority: runs the “L” (which stands for “elevated train”) with connections at both airports.
Call RTA Travel Information Center with any questions and for updated schedules: 312-836-7000.
For reduced fares on the “L,” Seniors, disabled and Medicare recipients need a permit in advance to qualify. For Reduced Fare Permits, go here.

Metra: commuter train station, with connections near O’Hare.
Call Metra Passenger Services Department at 312-322-6777 weekdays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. or the RTA Travel Information Center at 312-836-7000 on evenings and weekends with any questions and for updated schedules.

From Chicago O’Hare Airport:
- by CTA Blue Line “L” to Illinois Medical District (IMD) Station, then walk 0.75 mi to conference center/dorms = $5
- by Metra North Central Service (NCS) Train to Union Station, then taxi to conference center/dorms = approx. $6 + $7-12 fare
From Midway Airport:
- by CTA Orange Line “L”, Transfer to Pink Line “L” to Polk Station, then walk 0.3 mi to conference center/dorms = $3

For details regarding the public transit options listed above, go here.

Other:

Taxis:
Taxis are the most convenient way to travel to/from the airports. Go to an airport taxi stand to be sure you get a licensed taxi driver. For current fares, check the City of Chicago taxi passenger information website. Share a ride with another Congress attendee and split the fare to save money.

From Chicago O’Hare Airport: 20 miles and 60-minutes to conference center/dorms = approx. $60
From Midway Airport: 10 miles and 30-minutes to conference center/dorms = approx. $30

Uber: car for hire; fares vary by time of day, date and availability

From Chicago O’Hare = approx. $50
From Midway Airport = approx. $20

Lyft: car for hire; fares vary by time of day, date and availability of shared riding

From Chicago O’Hare = approx. $25 (shared ride)
From Midway Airport = approx. $15 (shared ride)

*We do not endorse, verify or confirm any of the results provided on the transit website links above. It is best to contact the transport provider for up-to-date schedules and fees.

For questions:
Contact the Congress Coordinator: Chris Wilbeck, chris.wilpf@gmail.com or 515-229-6988

Member Showcase

WILPF Tribute Video

Submit your photos and videos! Deadline extended to July 1.

In lieu of the traditional Tribute Book, we will be creating a Tribute Video for this year’s Congress!

I AM WILPF

The up-and-coming Brooklyn WILPF Branch is creating a tribute video to honor and celebrate WILPF members. In line with the theme of this year’s Congress, they are asking for video clips and photographs of WILPF women you want to honor and remember, your branch, your issue committees, and YOU all doing what WILPF members do best Rise Up, Remember, Reclaim and Reimagine! Below are a few guidelines, to help you get started:

Submit a video, photos or a mix of both! Be creative!

“I am WILPF”:
Your own personal message captured in a video or photo:
“I am WILPF. I rise up and organize for (your activism passion) in (name of city and/or state)”
Branch Shout-Outs:
“We are WILPF. We are the (branch name or branch issue committee name) and we rise up and organize for (branch’s key focus of work)”
And/or send photos/videos showing your WILPF Branch or WILPF Issue Committee at work in marches, events, or keynote speeches!
Tributes:
Remember all the wonderful women who have passed away and their inspiring legacy of work.
Honor members who have inspired your activism or have gone above-and-beyond to further WILPF’s mission.
Other:
Any photos or videos you feel represent the essence of WILPF. Again, these can be marches, events, keynote speeches or WILPF members just having fun!

Cost:
As in the past with Tribute Books, a nominal fee will be charged for material submitted for “Branch Shout-Outs” and “Tributes” to cover the cost of video production. The pieces submitted for those categories will be a priority for inclusion in the final produced video. Material submitted for “I am WILPF” and “Other” will be free of charge, though these items won’t be guaranteed for inclusion. However, the ultimate goal of the final produced video is to include a wide variety of imagery that will showcase WILPF members, so all imagery received will be carefully reviewed and considered.

“Branch Shout-Outs” and “Tributes”:

$40 for up to 3 photos
$40 for 1 video up to 10 seconds long
priority for inclusion will be given for these images
Note: If your video is longer than 10 seconds, it will be charged $40 per every 10 seconds. However, please keep the length to a minimum, so we can accommodate imagery from others in the final produced video.

“I am WILP” and “Other”:

no charge to submit a photo
no charge to submit a video up to 10 secs long
no guarantee it will be included in the final video

Number of Items Submitted:

You may submit more than 1 video or more than 3 photos. Just fill out the submittal form accordingly.

Submission & Payment Due by 7/1/17:

Send an email to video.wilpf@gmail.com
1. attach your photo(s) and/or video(s)
2. attach Submission Form: DOWNLOAD SUBMISSION FORM HERE*
  *Items must be listed in the submittal form to be considered for inclusion.
A confirmation email will be sent to you when the item(s) AND submission form are received.
An invoice will be emailed to you with the total payment due.
1. You may pay with paypal or a credit card through a link in the invoice.
  OR
2. You may download/print the invoice and mail it in with a check.

Only items submitted and payment received by 7/1/17 will be guaranteed for inclusion in the final produced video. If you paid for an item to be submitted and it didn’t make the video for any reason (i.e. damaged file, poor quality), you will be reimbursed. Videos may need to be shortened to accommodate formatting needed for production.

If more material is submitted than can be accommodated in the produced video, then material used will be limited per person and per branch.

Copies of the Video:

DVD copies of the video will be available for purchase after Congress.

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

Branch Table Exhibits

Reservation deadline extended to July 1!
Reserve an exhibit table at Congress to highlight the inspiring and meaningful work your WILPF Branch or Issue Committee does every day. Every WILPF Branch has a unique personality and issue focus. Branch Table Exhibits are a great way to share your story and see what other branches are doing!

Table size:
6 ft. long x 3 ft. wide

Bring:
Please bring your own tablecloth (table tops are unfinished plywood)
Example of table display items can include, but are not limited to:*

Brochures, pamphlets, buttons
Communication pieces you’ve created for past, present or future events
Special banners or signs
Items for sale*
Anything you usually display on your Branch Table!!!

*Note: Please assign someone from your branch to be responsible for table setup, take-down and the contents on the table. The conference rooms are not locked at night, so you will need to remove and store any valuable items at the end of each day. Your branch is responsible for any item sale transactions. The Congress Committee will not be able to conduct sales or make change on your behalf.

Set-up:
Table locations will be assigned in the order in which they are received. Tables will be available for setup on Fri 7/28 at 7 am and must be set by 8:30 am that morning.

Table Cost:
Cost per table, to cover rental/delivery fees:
$50 for full table
$25 for table (share with another branch)

Request due:
By 7/1/17
To request a table, send an email on/before 7/1/17 to:
Congress Coordinator, Chris Wilbeck, at chris.wilpf@gmail.com.
Please include in your email:

Contact information for branch member responsible for table (name, phone, email).
Name of branch
Size of table requested (full or 1/2 table)

Payment due:
By 7/1/17
All requests and payments must be mailed to be received by 7/1. Any requests and payments for tables after this date cannot be guaranteed.
Please make your check payable to: WILPF.
In memo line, include branch name and “table”
Mail (no cash please) to:

WILPF
Re: Branch Table
PO BOX 13075
Des Moines, IA 50310

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

JACBA Book Corner
The Des Moines WILPF Branch will be hosting a Book Corner on Friday and Saturday. Featured will be a selection of books from the 2017 Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards (JACBA), as well as other award-winning books that engage children with topics focusing on WILPF’s work exemplified by our Issue Committees. You are invited to browse and register to win a book for donation to your community. WILPF branches are also invited to share stories of their successful JACBA book programs, with written recaps and photos of past events. A small selection of books will also be on sale. For more information about how your branch can participate, contact Jan Corderman at jancorderman@msn.com or 515-205-4504. The Des Moines Branch is grateful for a grant from the Miami Fund, administered by the Jane Addams Peace Association, which has helped to make this Book Corner possible.

Supporters

WILPF 33rd Triennial Congress Supporters

Our sincere gratitude for the generous supporters who helped underwrite
WILPF’s 33rd Triennial Congress
to make it enjoyable and affordable for all.

Sponsorship Donations:

Reimagine: $1,000 +

Mori & Anthony Constantino
Joan Patchen Fund, administered by the Jane Addams Peace Association

Reclaim: $500 – $999

Claire Cumbie-Drake
Robin Lloyd
Dr. Joy Martinez
Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy (POCLAD)
WILPF-Sacramento Valley Branch

Rise Up: $100 – $499

Ellen Schwartz
Chris Wilbeck
WILPF-Baltimore Branch

Remember: under $100

Terry Futvoye-Micus
Marybeth Gardam
Anne Henny
Methodist Federation for Social Action, Iowa Chapter
Nancy Price
Janet Slagter
Cherrill Spencer

WILPF 33rd Triennial Congress Scholarship Donations:

Reimagine: $1,000+

Darien De Lu
Miami Fund, administered by the Jane Addams Peace Association

Reclaim: $500 – $999

WILPF-Sacramento Valley Branch

Rise Up: $100 – $499

Robin Lloyd

Remember: under $100

Theresa Futvoye-Micus
Marybeth Gardam
Karla Hansen
Anne Henny
Maureen Long
Nancy Matthews
Elenita Muniz
Karen Pope
Nancy Price
Ellen Schwartz

Creative Contributions:

Carol Alexander
Caitlin Barnes
Maya Boettcher
Meagan Fox
Chris Henning
Heather Purdy
Rodger Routh
Glenn Ruga
Kevin Wilbeck

Chicago

Take advantage of your trip and come early or stay late to experience Chicago!

There are many places to visit near Congress headquarters, as well as free and popular tourist attractions just a short cab ride away. Visit Millennium Park, The Art Institute of Chicago, or take a bus, boat or walking tour highlighting the cultural and architectural history and diversity of Chicago.

Those coming early can also register for the Chicago Neighborhoods & Diversity Bus Tour, arranged as a pre-Congress activity on Thursday, July 27, from 2-5 p.m. at a reduced price of $25. See Registration, for more details.

There are so many wonderful options, you’ll have a hard time choosing!

Click here for a Google map with Congress Headquarters (828 S Wolcott Ave., Chicago, IL 60612).

Transportation To/From Congress

Click here

Local Area Restaurants:

Most meals are included with the Full Congress Access and Daily Congress Access registrations. For your on-your-own lunch on Friday, the conference facility’s cafeteria (located on the first floor of Student Center West) offers a wide variety of food choices. For Saturday night dinner, there are numerous options in the nearby culinary scenes of Little Italy and Greektown.

Leadership Institute

Leadershipwhat is it? How is it developed and cultivated? How could skillful leadership help WILPF branches build their vision, their direction, and more effective local work?

Whether you are a “newborn” activist or someone born to activism, new to WILPF or a long-time member, the WILPF Leadership Institute is for you. If ever there was a time that called for another kind of leadership, this is it! Discover what it means to become a WILPF leader on the local and/or national level.

Now is the time to stand up for the Earth, for humanity, and for yourself and make cooperative, positive change. Learn the skills and practice the art of

helping people find their place in activism
building a group process that elicits shared planning
connecting groups into networks
linking grassroots actions to international movements.

In sessions before the Congress and tucked in throughout it, you will participate in meetings, activities, and evaluations that will delve into what it means to be a leader as well as enhance your Congress experience. Learn from national and international WILPF leaders and from each other. The WILPF Leadership Institute will give you greater confidence in taking on leadership roles within WILPF.

Take your activism to a higher level. Through the WILPF Leadership Institute, discover who can be a leader in these dangerous and dynamic times: you!

Application and Registration

You must apply to become a participant. Fill out the application form and e-mail it to nominatingcommittee@wilpfus.org by Sunday, June 4. The fee for the Institute is $25. Once we determine Leadership Institute enrollment, we will contact you with further instructions on how to register for the Congress and pay the fees. The Congress begins on July 27, and the Institute begins on July 26. Participants will be housed in single rooms in clusters with shared bathrooms. Please hold off registering for the Congress until we can tell you if you’ve been accepted into the Leadership Institute. Once you have that information, you can register for the correct number of nights at the college. It is not easy to change registration once made.

Fees

Congress: registration, housing (single room) for 3 nights (Thursday through Sunday): $425
Leadership Institute: $25
Housing for 1 additional night (Wednesday): $50
Total: $500

Extra meals during the Leadership Institute ((Wed. lunch and dinner; Thurs. breakfast and lunch; Friday, lunch; Saturday, dinner; and Sun. lunch) will be at your own cost. Partial scholarships available to reduce the $500 cost.

More information

Contact the WILPF US Nominating Committee at nominatingcommittee@wilpfus.org, or Laura Dewey at 313-882-1596 (eastern time) if you have any questions.

Schedule
(Subject to Change)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 26

For Early Arrivals
12:00 – 1:00 pm	Lunch Together
1:00 – 1:30 pm	Check-In for the Congress
1:30 – 2:50 pm	Conversation about Leadership with a WILPF Leader: A national or international WILPF leader will present on how she became a leader and other topics, followed by informal Q & A.
Official Opening Session
3:00 – 3:10 pm	Conversation about Leadership with a Welcome, Logistics, Introductions of Leadership Institute Organizers
3:10 – 4:00 pm	WILPF-International Institutions: Learn about Peace Women, Reaching Critical Will, the United Nations office, WILPF-International UN representatives, the office in Geneva, the International Board, Executive Committee, International Committees, and Triennial International Congresses.
4:55 – 5:25 pm	Discussion: What benefits does WILPF US get from being part of an international organization? How can we make better use of our WILPF-Int’l connections and institutions?
5:25 – 5:40 pm	Rapid-Responses Evaluation of Day
6:30 – 8:00 pm	Dinner
8:00 – 8:30 pm	Orientation to Leadership Institute: Why, what, goals, schedule.

THURSDAY, JULY 27

8:30 – 9:30 am	Breakfast Together: Q & A with a WILPF Leader
9:30 – 10:00 am	Brief Recap and Further Evaluation of Wednesday’s Sessions. What is useful and positive evaluation? Evaluation as fundamental activity of leadership. What to listen/watch for during the evening plenary.
10:15 – 11:00 am	Racism and Other Oppressions (especially sexism and internalized oppressions): What it/they are and why we start with it; what to listen for in our self-introductions.
11:10 am – 12:30 pm	Self-Introductions and First Personal Experience(s) of Racism (prejudice + power)
12:30 – 2:00 pm	Lunch Together: Q & A with a WILPF leader about balancing work, activism, and personal life; maintaining energy and enthusiasm.
2:00 – 5:00 pm	Chicago Bus Tour. Assignment:On the bus tour, look for and exercise ways to encourage team-building on your bus; identify and articulate at least two appreciations.
5:15 – 6:30 pm	Leadership as a Team Effort: How to build a team, involve members, and effectively delegate roles and responsibilities; why and how to encourage team work and cooperation. (See below for further description)
6:00 – 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:00 – 9:00 pm	Congress

FRIDAY, JULY 28

	Breakfast Together: Q & A with a WILPF leader
8:30 – 8:50 am	Meeting: What to listen/watch for this day
9:00 am – 12:00 pm	Congress
12:00 – 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 – 3:30 pm	Congress
4:00 – 5:30 pm	Building Meetings with Good Process (See below for further description)
6:00 – 7:00 pm	Dinner

SATURDAY, JULY 29

	Breakfast Together: Q & A with a WILPF leader
8:30 – 8:50 am	Meeting: What to listen/watch for this day. Special focus: which skills sessions are most applicable to leadership?
9:00 am – noon	Congress
noon – 1:00 pm	Lunch
1:00 – 7:00 pm	Congress
7:00 – 8:00 pm	Dinner Together: Q & A with a WILPF leader
8:00 – 9:30 pm	What Does It Mean to Be Part of a Movement? (See below for further description)

SUNDAY, JULY 30

Post-Congress Session
8:30 – 8:50 am	Meeting: What to listen/watch for this day.
9:00 am – noon	Congress
noon – 2:00 pm	Check-Out and Lunch Together
2:00 – 3:00 pm	Wrap-up: We are the ones we’ve been waiting for! What did you learn? What was most useful to you? What will you do differently in your branch/other organizations in which you work?

Descriptions of Workshops

Leadership as a Team Effort

Sharing a comprehensive/integrated view of the goals and/or work of the organization/team
Working in a volunteer group: special considerations
Acknowledging and appreciating work of each person, including leaders
Qualities of good “process” and how it encourages positive participation
Brainstorm on what skills a team needs
Importance of team-building activities
The components of effective delegation (clear assignment, follow-up)
Brainstorm on pros and cons of delegation
Incl. strategies for working effectively in WILPF
Recruiting and organizing; how to talk about WILPF

Building Meetings with Good Process

How a branch meeting is different from a business meeting. (Brainstorm qualities of each.)
Making space in a meeting; addressing our full humanness
What goes into a good agenda?
Important roles in a meeting
Roberta’s rules of order or what

What Does It Mean to Be Part of a Movement?

Do you think WILPF is part of a movement? Are you?
If we are … what builds a movement?
How do WILPF US and the leaders (and members)in it contribute to that?
Organizing vs. accompanying

by WILPF STAFF

WILPF US Triennial Congress