We are almost two weeks away from Virginia Organizing’s Grassroots Gathering 2016. There are still some spaces left if you have not registered yet or if you think of someone who might want to come (please forward this email to them).
You won’t want to miss our great workshops, updates on campaigns in Virginia and what we need to do to win, and a mass meeting with Deputy Secretary of the Virginia Department of Education Holly Coy.
All the details are below and I hope you’ll join us! I can’t wait to see you there!
Sincerely,
Sandra A. Cook
State Governing Board
Petersburg
Grassroots Gathering 2016 runs September 16-18 at the Skelton 4-H Center at Smith Mountain Lake (775 Hermitage Road, Wirtz, VA 24184). 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.
Schedule and Workshop Information
Friday, September 16
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
Virginia Organizing 101
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!
Speak Your Mind: Media Spokesperson Training
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.
Campaign Strategy Chart
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.
Virginia Organizing 301 (Advanced)
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!
Saturday, September 17
8:30 Breakfast
9:30 Opening Session
School-to-Prison Pipeline Panel
11:00 Mass Meeting
Special guest: Holly Coy, Virginia Deputy Secretary of Education
12:00 Lunch
Discussion table: LGBT Rights Beyond Marriage
1:30 Workshops: Skills to Win Campaigns
Virginia Organizing 101
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!
New Member Recruitment
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 members to build a powerful grassroots organization.
Understanding Power
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.
Participatory Research
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!
Fundraising to build grassroots power
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.
Facilitating Chapter Meetings
We have all been to meetings that needed a strong facilitator. In this workshop, you will learn the fundamentals of good facilitation, sharpen your skills, and practice handling difficult situations.
Speak Your Mind: Media Spokesperson Training
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
Racial Profiling and Discriminatory Policing
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.
Voter Empowerment: Returning Citizens and Get Out the Vote!
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 on November 8!
Organizing in the Deaf Community
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.
Energy Democratization and Community Empowerment
Learn how people in communities across Virginia are working together to create their own energy — and how you can be a part of it!
Stop the Debt Trap
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.
Retirement Securities
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.
Health Care Reform
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.
Sunday, September 18
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Closing Session: Beyond 2016
9:30 Small Groups and Report Backs
11:00 Closing
