Darfur activism conference at Swarthmore (December 1-3, 2006)
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
Registration
Parish Parlors
Gallery Reception, Kitao Gallery
“Hand of a Displaced
A documentary photography exhibit by Ryan Spencer Reed
View the exhibition and enjoy refreshments.
Lecture: Mohammad Yahya
Movie Screening: Darfur Diaries
Saturday, December 2
Ryan Spencer Reed’s “Hand of a Displaced
Breakfast
LPAC Lobby
Opening Plenary
LPAC Cinema
Dr. Eric Reeves – Overview of the history and current conflict in
Welcome - Erin Mazursky, Executive Director of STAND
Accomplishments from the Region – Micaela Hellman-Tincher, Mid-Atlantic ROC
Activist Bootcamp: Media, Advocacy and Divestment Workshops
Workshop #1,
Workshop #2,
Workshop #3,
Divestment –
Advocacy –
Media – Science Center 128
Lunch
Lecture: Ryan Spencer Reed
Ryan will share his experiences and observations as a documentary photographer in
STAND’s Winter Campaign
Panel:
Eric Reeves –
Jeff Weintraub – Visiting Professor of Political Science at University of Pennsylvania
Sam Bell – Director of Advocacy, Genocide Intervention Network
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
Group B
Group C
Group D
Group E
Group F
Group G Science Center L32
Workshops
Choose one of the following events.
International Outreach
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
Banaa, founded by members of GW STAND, aims to bring Sudanese students from marginalized populations of
Making the Most of Your Administration
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.
Break
Dinner, Keynote speaker and entertainment
Lecture and Slide Show: Mia Farrow
Post Dinner
Coffee House and Jazz
Sunday, December 2
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.
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
Special Focus Workshops
Choose two workshops to attend.
The United Nations and Genocide
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
Facilitator: Mark Hanis, Executive Director, Genocide Intervention Network.
Learn about the foundations of the R2P doctrine, how it applies to
Congressional Lobbying
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
Facilitator: Fatima Haroun, Darfur Women’s Empowerment Project
Learn about the issues women and children face in
Limitations and opportunities in prosecuting and advocating against human rights abuses in
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
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.
Mini Grant Award and Closing Remarks
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.
posted by Jeff Weintraub at 3:43 PM
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