| Our Last Best Hope for Democracy: America’s Federal Courts |
| Judicial nominations that are not to the Supreme Court are being confirming on a record-setting pace. These district and appeals court judges are the main defense for our rights and for keeping the executive branch in check. Amanda will show some of the people who have made it through, who is in the pipeline, and how we can affect the confirmation process. |
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| How to Offer Help Without Harm |
| How can we aid in other people’s struggles without taking over the fight? How can we leverage our own power and voices without erasing the people we mean to help? These questions can be intimidating and sometimes tricky in the details, but our panel will work through useful principles and strategies. |
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| Morning Jump Start(s) |
| This is a working conference, but working on a conference morning can feel like, well, work. Come get revved up and ready for your day as the coffee kicks in. |
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| Burning Bright Without Burning Out |
| Two of the most accomplished organizers in the secular movement, Mandisa Thomas and Debbie Goddard, speak about how they keep going. We are all lucky enough to get to listen. |
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| So Many People! Organizing Groups |
| Meeting the needs of one person is (relatively) easy. Meeting the needs of a whole local group? Now we’re talking about serious challenges. Our panelists have organized very different types of groups and here to talk about how they identified and prioritized all those needs. |
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| Everyone Ain’t Gonna Make It. |
| If we want productive communities, we need to effectively manage secular spaces. But what does that mean in practical terms? |
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| Resistance Through Art |
| From fine art to pop culture to editorial cartoons, and in all the spaces those overlap, art is political. Our panel is here to own that and talk about how to put it to work. |
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| Resistance Through Direct Action |
| Direct action is what most people think of when they think about activism. Until you’ve done it yourself, it can feel intimidating. Our panel is here to help you prepare. |
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| Resistance Through Academia |
| When truth itself is under attack, academics usually are too. Whether they’re recording history, bringing analysis and insight, or simply insisting on facts that have already been demonstrated, they’re inconvenient to those who insist they have the power to shape reality. Our panel discusses how to be productively inconvenient as an academic. |
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| State of the Secular State |
| The separation of religion and government, an integral element of religious liberty, is being challenged at both the federal and state level through recent court decisions, federal policy changes, and state level legislation. This workshop will discuss the repercussions of recent Supreme Court decisions on federal and state law, examine regulatory and policy changes implemented by the Administration which impact religious liberty, and review trends in state level legislation which erode the separation of religion and government. Attendees will learn about and discuss key developments in the field. |
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| What Flavor is my Activism? |
| Where do you even begin to save the world when everything is on fire? Let’s narrow our focus and figure out the best places our skills and knowledge can be helpful and make a difference. |
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| Driving the Narrative |
| Ever feel like discussions derail instead of talking about the important things? Come find out how to keep people on track and how to give yourself permission to walk away when you can’t. |
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| Getting Secular Voters on the Map |
| With the 2018 midterm elections coming up and unprecedented on the separation of church and state by all three branches of government, we need to prioritize and organize! As the largest and fastest growing religious demographic in the country, secular Americans and our values continue to be underrepresented and outright attacked. Our goal is to make sure the secular constituency visible and respected as a powerful voting bloc by legislators. We understand that many volunteers and members of the secular community feel frustrated or think they don’t have enough time to contribute to make a difference, but whether it’s registering secular voters, building relationships with your members of Congress, or organizing in your Opolitical party, we have a way for you to get involved! |
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| Imposter Syndrome |
| Impostor syndrome is that feeling that you’re just faking what you do and are going to be found out any minute. It keeps us from fully appreciating our own work and from tackling new, ambitious projects that need to be done. Come gather tips and exercises to combat this problem and be a more effective, secure activist. |
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| Practicing Your Code of Conduct |
This workshop will not tell you how to write or implement a code of conduct, but it will give you many good questions to ask. We’ll encourage you to examine your organization’s policies and test
your procedures—and build in some essential aftercare. |
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| Impostor Syndrome |
| Impostor syndrome is that feeling that you’re just faking what you do and are going to be found out any minute. It keeps us from fully appreciating our own work and from tackling new, ambitious projects that need to be done. Come gather tips and exercises to combat this problem and be a more effective, secure activist. |
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| Effective Use of Social Media |
| Twitter, Facebook, even Instagram. Everyone has social media accounts these days, but what can you do to make sure they help you accomplish your goals? Come find out what your social media use can do the help you and how you can keep it from harming you. |
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| Direct Action Training |
| Direct action events are meant to grab attention and can put participants under significant pressure. Make sure you’re prepared to deal with that before setting out to make some noise. |
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| Trans Allyship Training |
| Transgender people continue to be one of the most vulnerable demographics in our society. They are being targeted politically, socially, and often physically. As much as ever, they need the support of their cisgender (non-transgender) allies. This workshop aims to equip attendees with knowledge and skills to better support the transgender community in any setting from social interaction to political activism. |
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| Accessibility in Small Group Spaces |
| You want to make your spaces and events open to all. What does that look like? What can you plan ahead for, and how can you encourage people to let you know what they need to participate? |
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| Finding and Vetting Speakers |
| So you want speakers who will entertain, educate, and not blow up in your faces. Come get strategies for building your list and learning more about your speakers before you’re committed. |
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| Guerrilla Programming |
| Found a topic during the weekend that excites you and you need to talk about with others? Talk to SWW organizers about running a guerrilla session on Sunday. |
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