Thursday, November 30, 2006

Darfur activism conference at Swarthmore (December 1-3, 2006)

For people who are within traveling distance of the Philadelphia area, or who know people in that area who might be interested:

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (December 1-3) there is a conference at Swarthmore dealing with the atrocity in Darfur and with student activism aimed at doing something to stop it. This is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference of STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition.

The website with the announcement is HERE and the program is below. I wanted to alert anyone who might be interested. And if you know anyone else who might be interested in attending, please pass along this notice to them.

Speakers and other participants will include some people who are exceptionally knowledgeable about the subject and who have played important roles in trying to mobilize public opinion and government action on this issue. (I've also been invited to participate in a panel on Saturday, so I'm honored to find myself in such company.)

--Jeff Weintraub
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STAND Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference at Swarthmore College

Schedule of Events

Friday, December 1

4:00 pm8:00 pm

Registration

Parish Parlors

6:00 – 8:00 pm

Gallery Reception, Kitao Gallery

“Hand of a Displaced Sudan: The Cost of Silence”

A documentary photography exhibit by Ryan Spencer Reed

View the exhibition and enjoy refreshments.

8:00 – 9:00 pm

Lecture: Mohammad Yahya

Science Center 199

9:00 – 10:15 pm

Movie Screening: Darfur Diaries

Science Center 199

Saturday, December 2

Ryan Spencer Reed’s “Hand of a Displaced Sudan: The Cost of Silence” exhibition will be available for viewing at the Kitao Gallery during all breaks and meals.

8:00 – 8:45

Breakfast

LPAC Lobby

8:45 – 10:30

Opening Plenary

LPAC Cinema

Dr. Eric Reeves – Overview of the history and current conflict in Darfur.

Welcome - Erin Mazursky, Executive Director of STAND

Accomplishments from the Region – Micaela Hellman-Tincher, Mid-Atlantic ROC

10:30 – 12:45

Activist Bootcamp: Media, Advocacy and Divestment Workshops

Workshop #1, 10:30 – 11:15

Workshop #2, 11:15 – 12:00

Workshop #3, 12:00- 12:45

Divestment – Science Center 181

Advocacy – Science Center 183

Media – Science Center 128

12:45 – 1:30

Lunch

Upper Tarble

1:30-2:10

Lecture: Ryan Spencer Reed

Ryan will share his experiences and observations as a documentary photographer in Darfur.

2:10 – 2:30

STAND’s Winter Campaign

Science Center 101

2:30 – 3:45

Panel: Khartoum's Genocide, the United States' Response, and Changing the Political Calculus

Science Center 101

Eric Reeves – Sudan expert, Smith College.

Jeff Weintraub – Visiting Professor of Political Science at University of Pennsylvania

Sam Bell – Director of Advocacy, Genocide Intervention Network

4:00 – 5:30

Breakout Sessions

Create plans of action for the upcoming semester with other STAND Chapters in your region. The best plan, as decided by conference attendees and the STAND MC, will receive a $500 grant.

Group A Science Center 102

Group B Science Center 128

Group C Science Center 158

Group D Science Center 181

Group E Science Center 183

Group F Science Center 264

Group G Science Center L32

5:30 – 6:00

Workshops

Choose one of the following events.

International Outreach

Science Center 181

Join the International Outreach Committee of STAND for a discussion on how to further engage students in other parts of the world in the anti-genocide movement. Learn about the existing international STAND chapters and about how to get involved with international outreach.

Banaa Program Presentation

Science Center 183

Banaa, founded by members of GW STAND, aims to bring Sudanese students from marginalized populations of Sudan to universities in the United States, where they will obtain a leadership based education. Students will utilize the skills they acquire, along with the connections they make, to affect sustainable political and social change within Sudan. With President of George Washington University signed on to provide tuition free education to one student, Banaa hopes to spread to other schools across the country. Come learn about the program and how you can bring it to your campus!

Making the Most of Your Administration

Science Center 158

Gain an in depth understanding of the best ways to work with your administration and faculty to be the most effective STAND Chapter you can be.

6:00 – 6:30

Break

6:30 – 10:00

Dinner, Keynote speaker and entertainment

Upper Tarble

Lecture and Slide Show: Mia Farrow

Post Dinner

Coffee House and Jazz

Upper Tarble

Sunday, December 2

8:00 am- 9:00 am

Get Involved with STAND! Breakfast

Science Center Commons

Students interested in getting involved at the national level with STAND and/or the Sudan Divestment Task Force are invited to eat breakfast with members of the STAND Managing Committee, SDTF, and representatives from Genocide Intervention Network. Erin Mazursky, Executive Director of STAND, will give a brief talk about how the Managing Committee operates and outline the available positions students can apply for in the spring.

9:00 – 10:00

Panel - Engaging Community Groups
A panel of representatives from religious communities, community organizations and human rights groups will speak about effective methods for engaging and involving their communities

Lou Ann Merkle – Executive Director, Darfur Alert Coalition

Daniel Hunter – Training Associate, Training for Change

Reverand Joyce Tompkins, Protestant Chaplain at Swarthmore College

Geoff Semenuk – Vice President of Alumni Relations at Swarthmore College.

10:00 – 12:00

Special Focus Workshops
Choose two workshops to attend.

The United Nations and Genocide

Science Center 128

Facilitator: Adam LeBor, author of Complicity with Evil: The United Nations and the Age of Modern Genocide

Listen and discuss how the United Nations has repeatedly failed to confront genocide, looking specifically at the role of the secretariat’s relationship with the security council and the failures of UN officials to confront genocide.

The Responsibility to Protect Doctrine

Science Center 102

Facilitator: Mark Hanis, Executive Director, Genocide Intervention Network.

Learn about the foundations of the R2P doctrine, how it applies to Darfur and the future of R2P.

Congressional Lobbying

Science Center 158

Facilitator: Sam Bell, Director of Advocacy, Genocide Intervention Network

Gain an in-depth understanding of congressional lobbying: who to target, specific techniques and effective approaches.

Women’s Issues in Darfur

Science Center 183

Facilitator: Fatima Haroun, Darfur Women’s Empowerment Project

Learn about the issues women and children face in Darfur and what the future holds in store for them.

Limitations and opportunities in prosecuting and advocating against human rights abuses in Darfur

Niklas Hultin

Science center 181

The workshop will address the various international legal and quasi-legal options for stopping the genocide, bringing the perpetrators to justice and, hopefully, prevent future outbursts of violence in Darfur/Sudan, focusing on the International Criminal Court and the African Human Rights system.

Genocide Education

Science Center 183

Facilitator: Patrice Hutton, STAND Education Coordinator

Learn how to get involved in your state's campaign for genocide education and how to set up a pilot program for genocide education in area high schools.

12:00 – 12:30

Mini Grant Award and Closing Remarks

Science Center 101

Based on votes by student conference attendees and the STAND MC, one $500 mini-grant will be awarded to a regional plan of action, followed by closing remarks.