Workshops

Most, but not all, workshops will be repeated in the AM and PM sessions.

Promoting Peace from the Inside Out:
Managing Stress and Promoting Wellness in Hillyer Hall room 256, AM only
Peter Oliver
In this presentation we will discuss ‘stress’ in terms of its signs, sources, and potential effects on the human body. We will also address destructive and constructive strategies to manage stress. On a practical and experiential level, participants will be invited to learn and to practice two forms of meditation (guided imagery and muscle relaxation) as a way to promote mindfulness, wellness, and inner peace.

Empowered Communication in Hillyer Hall room 130
Joanna Niemann
The benefits of communication where the needs behind what one does or says are heard, where judgment and criticism are transformed into understanding and connection, where emotional connections with partners, colleagues, family and friends are deepened, and where the creation of an empowered, purposeful life free of fear, shame and guilt is possible – these benefits of NonViolent communication are explored and experienced in the workshop

Community Organizing for Peace and Social Justice in Hillyer Hall room 221
David Ambur
The workshop will cover some of the basics of community organizing for peace, social and economic justice, and human rights. It will look at some techniques, tactics, and strategies that can help in having a successful campaign that helps gains power, but also helps build the membership and capacity of organizations.

Nonviolent Strategies: Fighting Oppression, Winning Rights in Hillyer Hall room 301
Shaazka Beyerle and Cyndi Boaz
On any given day around the world, women are using nonviolent methods to win their rights and to bring forth political, social and economic change. How can we develop and wield nonviolent power? This interactive workshop will review core concepts of strategic nonviolent action, and principles for success. Complementary copies of educational documentaries and books will be distributed to workshop participants.

Youth and Peace: Help Improve Peace Project (HIPP) in Hillyer Hall 240, AM only
Diane Weinholtz, Emma Bracker, Sage Hardesty, Lori Reynolds, Elizabeth Petrow
HIPP is a program which helps students build skills for responding to conflicts without violence. Watkinson Middle School works with Burr Middle School in Hartford to train teams of students who play leadership roles in their schools. At Watkinson, our student facilitators run orientation sessions, class meetings and additional trainings for other students. In this session, four of our students will facilitate a mini interactive HIPP workshop. Come join us.

”Nobody Ever Covers Us! “ A Conversation with a Reporter about How Newspapers Work in Hillyer Hall room 257
Maria Johnson
An informal session in which we’ll bat around ideas for getting your cause publicized.

When Does The Conversation On Peace Happen In Communities of Color? in Hillyer Hall 246 PM only
Dawn Fuller-Ball and Marcia Hughes
We highlight data of different communities in Connecticut and in particular conditions in Hartford to show and recognize that peace equals something different to different people, in particular Black women. We will provide case studies, both historical and current, to illustrate that the Black woman’s role is distinct and has its own purpose for creating peace.
   Ultimately a climate will be created for a discussion about the need for access to resources for building peace for marginalized Black women. Specifically, we will suggest how workshop participants can share and transfer resources i.e. access to educational, financial, and political institutions, in support of Black women building peace.

Building Bridges of Faith: Peacemaking through Interfaith Coalitions in Hillyer 240, PM only
Denise Clapsaddle
Some of the most famous and successful coalitions for peace and justice are interfaith groups (such as The Women In Black.) Working in Interfaith coalitions deepens personal faith and gets results. By the end of this workshop, each participant will have completed the preliminary planning for an Interfaith event (either jointly or separately, depending on attendees in the workshop.)

From Global to Local: Women Leading Sustainability in Hillyer Hall 258
Melinda Salazar
Since the early 1970s, Northern and Southern feminist scholars and activists have engaged in lively theoretical debates about women’s agency as spokesperson for the environment. While complex, the quintessential argument, often a theoretical debate about eco-feminism, asked whether women are more connected to nature [and spirituality] by virtue of their essential [biological] condition as women and therefore, are more privileged to speak about its exploitation, or whether women’s daily experiences in the world places them in positions of knowledge producers for the environment. As humanity and the future of our planet stands ever more closely at the crossroads, theoretical conversations must turn to local action. This workshop briefly overviews global initiatives for sustainability, visits women leaders, such as Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathi, who are engaging community in sustainability and engages participants in practical ways to lead action at the local, community level.

Mural art: a tool for social change in Hillyer 419, AM Only
Marela Zacarias
In this workshop I will give you a quick history of the use of mural art as a tool for social change since the Mexican Revolution. I will also talk about the impact of creating political art in times of war. You can expect interesting slides of murals and a rich conversation.

If Not Us, Who? If Not Now, When?: Moving from Bystanders to Change Agents in Hillyer Hall 229
Sharon Shepela
Sharon Toffey Shepela is co-author of Courageous Resistance: The Power of Ordinary People. Researchers are learning how ordinary people find the courage to stand up for justice and peace. Sharon weaves this research together with stories of courage in a workshop other audiences have called “Helpful and optimistic” “Animated, practical presentation…” “The whole format inspires, then challenges.” Whether you are new to protest or a committed activist, you can find useful insights here.

Resisting the Empire Through Artistic and Other Creative Efforts in Hillyer Hall 419, PM only
Maryann E. Auguste-Kožnar
In this workshop we will travel through the steps that help creative minds in art (and other areas) advance the causes of justice and peace. We will discuss some ideas of the great thinkers of revolutionary art and use our own artistic creativity to guide us as we explore ways to create a new world.