Skepticon 11

St. Louis, MO – August 9 – 11, 2019

Workshops

Friday

Navigating Conflicting Access Needs 12 p.m.
What do we do when designing spaces to be inclusive of certain needs can make them exclusive of others? No, not throw our hands up. Come work through sample scenarios with others and get prepared to think on your feet.
Eli Heina Dadabhoy

How to Make Your Podcast AWESOME 1 p.m.
Anyone can put together a mediocre podcast these days, and lots of people do. Come find out what you can do to make your podcast stand out and be a joy to listen to.
Callie Wright

Maintaining Safe Spaces: How to Be the “Bad Guy” 2 p.m.
With disadvantaged groups able to connect more than ever before, many of us end up tasked with creating, maintaining, and moderating safe spaces despite having little to no real experience in the area. Moderating a space requires overcoming a number of emotional hurdles. Removing a disruptive individual who might themself benefit from the space can be one of the most difficult challenges an inexperienced moderator faces. Trinity will be sharing many examples of moderating challenges she has faced, illustrating both the importance of overcoming emotional biases in moderating, and explaining the procedures she followed to prioritize the space as a whole. Audience members are encouraged to bring scenarios from their own experience for group discussion and advice.
Trinity Pixie

The Hard Part: Asking for Money 3 p.m.
A lot of us have trouble asking for money, even when we have good ideas about how it should be spent. Bring your barriers and your questions and figure out how to get over this hurdle.
Mandisa Thomas

Discussing Abortion Without Stigma 4 p.m.
It’s critical we speak up for reproductive rights, but how do we do that in an inclusive, non-stigmatizing manner when even progressive politicians are having trouble? Come work through how we talk about abortion without making assumptions about who has them and why.
Kelley Freeman

Saturday

Home for the Holy Days 9 a.m.
Spending time with your religious family as an atheist isn’t always the easiest thing. Come practice setting boundaries around religious discussion so you don’t have to have the same argument every year.
Stephanie Zvan

So You Want to Serve on a Board 10 a.m.
Boards are where the magic happens. Or the sausage-making, or at least the decisions. But what should you know before deciding you want to serve on one? You bring questions. We’ll bring expertise.
Alyssa Ehni

Be Activist! Do Art! 11 a.m.
Art can support both activism and self-care. We’ll do some hands-on creating (materials supplied) while discussing the benefits of making art part of our activist lives.
Ashley F. Miller

Sunday

Service Dogs and Their Handlers 1 p.m.
Service dogs are becoming more widely used (and misused) nationwide, and there is a shocking amount of pervasive misinformation about the legal, practical, and disability-related issues surrounding assistance animals. The workshop will aim to correct common misconceptions, educate about the legal bases of public access for service dog teams, and challenge ableist assumptions about those who use service dogs.
Ari Stillman

Intersectionality 104 2 p.m.
Maybe you’ve used the word “intersectionality” in your activism, but how confident are you that you understand what it means and why it’s an important concept? If you just felt a little uncomfortable reading that, this workshop is for you.
Sam Farooqui