Grassroots Gathering 2016 is next month! Have you registered yet?

In addition to the engaging workshops, great people, and a beautiful location at Smith Mountain Lake, we are proud to announce the special guest for our mass meeting will be Holly Coy, Deputy Secretary of the Virginia Department of Education!

Deputy Secretary Coy will speak and answer questions about the school-to-prison pipeline, sign language programs for deaf children, and more. If you have other issues you would like to raise, please share them with your local organizer as soon as possible.

Grassroots Gathering 2016 runs September 16-18 at the Skelton 4-H Center at Smith Mountain Lake. It is Virginia Organizing’s only statewide event open to all leaders, members, allies, and supporters. Full cost for the weekend is $195, but please do not let the cost be a barrier. Through our cost sharing model, we ask that you pay what you can—less if you can’t afford the full cost, more if you can help share in someone else’s cost. We hope you’ll be a part of this special weekend.

Also, for the first time, we are releasing the updated schedule and complete list of workshops. Please take a minute to review all of the wonderful opportunities available (below).

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

Ronna Wertman

Grottoes

5:00    Registration

6:30    Supper

7:30    Campaign Briefing

            Virginia in Crisis: Climate Change and the Need to Act

8:00    Building Power Workshops

New to Virginia Organizing? This workshop will give you an idea of Virginia Organizing’s history, deep organizing approach, and how you can get more involved in making change in your own community!

This training will help you hone in on your interests and skills to generate media coverage on important issues. After this workshop, you’ll be prepared to serve as a spokesperson for your local Chapter on the issues that matter to you most.

The Midwest Academy Strategy Chart is a great tool used to develop winning issue campaigns. This workshop will give you an opportunity to learn how to use the chart and to apply it to your own local campaigns.

Are you an active member who is interested in the long-term growth and development of Virginia Organizing? Then you should join this workshop for an hour of discussion around growth, sustainability, working together across Chapters, and a big picture vision for Virginia Organizing!

8:30    Breakfast

9:30    Opening Session

School-to-Prison Pipeline Panel

11:00 Mass Meeting

Special guest: Holly Coy, Deputy Secretary of Education

12:00  Lunch

Discussion table: LGBT Rights Beyond Marriage

1:30    Workshops: Skills to Win Campaigns

New to Virginia Organizing? This workshop will give you an idea of Virginia Organizing’s history, deep organizing approach, and how you can get more involved in making change in your own community!

Through canvassing, tabling, community events, and one-to-ones, we learn about important issues, identify potential members, and develop strong public relationships. Learn how to recruit and develop relationships with new member to build a powerful grassroots organization.

How can we build power to make the changes we want to make? In this workshop, you will define power, learn how to conduct a community power analysis, and discuss ways to build power for the long haul.

To build winning local campaigns, we need to be able to understand complex issues. Learn how important research work is not limited to professors and experts but can be done in a way that includes us all!

Are you nervous about asking people for money to support causes you care about?  Find out how to get over those jitters and become an effective fundraiser for social change.

We have all been to meetings that needed a strong facilitator. In this workshop, you will learn the fundaments of good facilitation, sharpen your skills, and practice handling difficult situations.

This training will help you hone in on your interests and skills to generate media coverage on important issues. After this workshop, you’ll be prepared to serve as a spokesperson for your local Chapter on the issues that matter to you most.

2:45    Workshops: Current Campaigns

Inspired by Black Lives Matter and the fight for immigration reform, this workshop will focus on how communities of color fight back against discrimination by law enforcement. Topics will include Know Your Rights, successful local campaigns, and data collection.

Virginia Organizing served as a strong voice in the recent improvements to Virginia’s Restoration of Rights process. Come learn about the recent changes and how you can help new voters exercise their rights onNovember 8!

Learn more about the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and how you can make changes in your local communities to expand services and accessibility.

Learn how people in communities across Virginia are working together to create their own energy—and how you can be a part of it!

Payday lenders are fighting to keep their unfair and abusive practices going. It’s up to us to make sure the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau closes loopholes.

An interactive discussion of the serious threats to Social Security and Medicare in a time of polarization, extremism, and misinformation…and what we need to do about it.

Join members of the Statewide Health Care Reform Strategy Committee for a discussion about the health insurance marketplace, Medicaid expansion, and our path forward after Election Day

4:00    Break

Enjoy down time with friends at beautiful Smith Mountain Lake. First walk through the Local Chapter Fair before checking out the basketball courts, hiking trails, and lakeside benches.

5:30    Mass Meeting

6:30    Dinner

7:30    Cultural/Talent Showcase

Share and enjoy the wide variety of talents and cultures of people from across Virginia. Poetry, music, stories, and more is welcome!

8:30    Campfire and Game Night

To cap off a full day, sit around the campfire roasting smores and telling stories or go inside to play cards or your favorite board game.

8:00    Breakfast

9:00    Closing Session: Beyond 2016

9:30    Small Groups and Report Backs

11:00  Closing