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2009 Conference Workshops
Breakout Session I | Breakout Session II | Breakout Session III | Breakout Session IV | Breakout Session V
Need help? A session glossary can be found can be found here.
Room: Suite 4-5
For decades the public has been left out of the debate over U.S. communications policy. But times are changing, and feminist activists must take our place at the table to share in this important dialogue. This workshop will bring together conference attendees with public interest advocates to help shape new policies for our evolving media landscape. Through innovative, interactive discussions, we will highlight the importance of putting women's interests at the heart of future media policy -- at the core of which is universal, open and affordable Internet access, diverse media ownership, quality journalism, and a vibrant public media.
Room: Suite 13-14
An eye-opening discussion by this panel will bring greater awareness about sexual violence in faith-based communities. Currently, efforts are primarily focused on helping ministers to better respond to victims of sexual violence who seek their guidance, both emotionally and spiritually. Unfortunately, these efforts overlook the reality of sexual violence by members of the clergy against those in their care. The consequences of this form of sexual violation are alarming and can include a loss of family, support network, and even spiritual solace. Learn about the victims whose religious experiences become tainted by betrayal.
Room: Suite 16
With Wall Street's meltdown, the push for privatization of Social Security has stopped, but some political forces are out to cut our retirement benefits. Join this panel of experts as they examine state and federal retirement programs, review the political climate for change, and address many of the legal and financial concerns that all women must eventually face. Explore various questions such as: How do you make a retirement plan or map? How much money will you need? What help will you get from Social Security and Medicare? Will you have a pension and/or 401K? Will you need long term care? Planning for retirement can be daunting; but it does not have to be.
Room: Plaza Ballroom
Learn from activists, educators, police officers, lawyers and advocates as they describe their successful annual Take Back the Night events which draws large crowds and gets lots of attention. Hear about organizing in a small Southern town, as well as efforts in Toledo, Ohio, that have led to a number of other successful actions, including street-level protests, community forums, government-sponsored research, and policy changes. The multi-voice, multicultural perspectives provided will help you organize your own Take Back the Night event and help combat violence against women in your community.
Room: Suite 15
Room: Suite 4-5
The problem of sexual harassment for working women is pervasive, but more often than not, sexual harassment goes unreported for fear of retaliation. In an intimidating environment, what are the steps to be taken to stop harassment? A Supreme Court decision in January strengthened protections against retaliation, but that's a far cry from real protections against harassment and discrimination. Experienced attorneys lead the discussion about how to effectively counter harassment, while protecting your job. Participants will leave more empowered than ever by learning about their rights and how to draw the line against sexual harassment!
Moderator: Lisalyn Jacobs
Panelists: Tammy Marzigliano, Deborah McKenna
Room: Suite 13-14
Learn from survivors of domestic abuse, social workers, and other advocates for victims of violence on how best to help. These experts will discuss the use of the Life Skills project in supporting survivors and improving their opportunities for success, and will share ideas on how to keep families and women safe from domestic violence. A New York program for batterer intervention will be spotlighted to demonstrate various approaches for changing violent behavior. Finally, there will be a review of a military program to help families where domestic violence has occurred and Army programs to educate personnel in preventing date rape.
Room: Metro Suite
With Centers for Disease Control reports that one in four teenage girls has a sexually-transmitted infection (STI), access to accurate and complete information for sexual and reproductive health is imperative.. Direct medical costs associated with STIs in the U.S. are estimated at $14.7 billion annually. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences without coercion, discrimination or violence. Learn about an internet-based program that helps advocates press for equal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services through SisterSong's Mapping Our Rights initiative.
Room: Suite 2-3
Hear inspiring stories of women who have been directly affected by the criminal justice system and are now organizing for change. Their activism takes many forms including grassroots lobbying, legislative advocacy, and policy-oriented research. The Women's Prison Association (WPA) and Women on the Rise Telling HerStory (WORTH) will spotlight the efforts of women around the country who have successfully advocated for women in the criminal justice system. The WPA will examine women's rights within the prison system and review efforts to promote prison nurseries and community-based alternatives to incarceration.
Room: Plaza Ballroom
Female infanticide and sexual slavery are just a few of the barbaric practices that are used to oppress Islamic women and girls. Within Islamic fundamentalism, extreme misogyny is a disturbingly common mindset that is physically, mentally and spiritually damaging for women and children. Workshop panelists include the executive director of Women's Freedom Forum, who has worked with women in the Middle East to promote freedom and democracy. Also, Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) President and former NOW president Eleanor Smeal will address the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan, where hundreds of girls' schools have been bombed and violence against women is increasing daily. FMF has launched a new campaign in the U.S. to promote the expansion of peace-keeping efforts and support the leadership of Afghan women and rebuild schools. Come learn how you can help.
Room: Suite 16
Marriage equality is moving rapidly through the states -- thanks to the tireless efforts of NOW and other LGBTI activists. With recent victories in Iowa, Vermont, and New Hampshire, it is the perfect time to have an action planning session based on solid successes. Whether your state is next to ring the same-sex wedding bells or you are raising awareness, you will want to join this action-oriented discussion. We will hear from people on the ground about what works, what went wrong, and how to win marriage equality. This is a brainstorming session so come prepared to share, learn, and overcome those wedding bell blues!
Room: Suite 15
Room: Suite 6-7
Even though Title IX, the equal education law, is 37 years old, young women and girls' potential to shine as students and athletes is still being stifled. There are many challenges in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics); ongoing sexual harassment in schools based on gender, gender identity/expression and sexual orientation, both real and perceived; and a proliferation of single-sex schools that segregate girls based on outmoded stereotypes and unproven assumptions. Build an action plan to utilize Title IX as leverage in advocating for girls and women, and learn how to make schools more accountable for assuring safety and equity under Title IX.
Room: Suite 4-5
Women and girls are constantly bombarded with media messages telling them how they should look, dress and act. Images of women in the media are limited, stereotyped and often degrading. We know that these images can be dangerous to girls' and women's self-esteem, their health and their pocketbooks. Find out how you can use NOW's Media Hall of Shame and NOW Foundation's Love Your Body campaign to address sexism, racism, homophobia and other offensive media content. Share effective methods for feminists to stand up to these harmful messages and promote positive alternatives for girls and women.
Room: Suite 13-14
The 1996 federal "welfare reform" law was disastrous for many poor women and children, spawning administrative barriers that kept eligible mothers and children from obtaining much-needed assistance. It added punishing requirements and didn't provide for the education and skills women need to escape poverty. Next year, Congress must reauthorize this law, called Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). We intend to pressure Congress and the Obama administration to adopt reforms proven both effective and responsive to the realities of women's lives. Feminists must drive home the message that we have the power to end poverty in the U.S. -- we just need the will.
Room: Plaza Ballroom
In many states, abortion rights opponents are pushing fetal personhood legislation that elevates fetal rights! These laws challenge women's autonomy over their bodies and mothers' rights to do what they think is best for their child. It is time we take a new approach and encourage alliances between birthing rights, women's rights, and reproductive rights. Other legislation such as requiring women to read anti-abortion pamphlets and see a sonogram image of their fetus is being promoted in various states. Panelists will also demonstrate how to effectively use social networks to organize against the hundreds of bad bills being considered by state legislatures.
Room: Suite 16
College-age women are at the highest risk for sexual assault and are often re-victimized by the lack of coherent and consistently-enforced university sexual assault policies. The Hunter (College) Women's Rights Coalition (HWRC) is creating a university-wide sexual-assault policy at the City University of New York and will share their experiences to date. In addition, effective responses to sexual harassment are often lacking on college campuses and reactions by campus officials to efforts by activists to help formulate policies range from ignorance to outright opposition. HWRC will suggest strategies for overcoming these challenges and for advancing campus sexual assault-sexual harassment response policies.
Room: Metro Suite
The National Dominican Women's Caucus (NDWC) -- a group of energetic and creative women from the Dominican Republic -- will present their ideas on how to make a better world for women and children. The NDWC fights to end discrimination and violence against women, works for poverty eradication and children's rights, and stresses the need to create a new way of thinking and a change in consciousness which emphasize respect for basic human rights and values.
Room: Suite 2-3
Brace yourselves for a fascinating panel discussion about working on presidential election campaigns. Three presidential campaign veterans who organized in multiple states will share highlights of their experiences on the campaign trail, memorable moments, and lessons learned. Most valuable will be advice about how YOU can become a successful staff member or effective volunteer in an election campaign -- as well as how to survive the 70 hour work weeks and living out of suitcase!
Room: Suite 15
Room: Suite 4-5
Women with disabilities are often seen as less than adult, regardless of age or ability level. They are denied accurate information about their bodies, reproductive systems, and ability to enjoy sex. This panel presentation will openly discuss the role of a healthy, enjoyable sexuality in the lives of women with disabilities and their right to sexual self-determination, which includes pleasure, parenting, and reproductive rights. This workshop is designed to teach women with disabilities, healthcare workers, and disability advocates precisely how to bring up this issue as an important part of general healthcare delivery to women with disabilities. The work of NOW's Disability Rights Committee will be briefly reviewed.
Room: Suite 16
Young women face numerous difficulties in the workplace including sexual harassment, pay disparities, and difficulties in obtaining affordable health care and contraceptives. In this workshop, presenters will address many of the pertinent challenges young women face and propose ways to overcome those challenges. Issues will also be discussed in the context of intersections between gender and race, age, class, sexual orientation, and disability. NOW's Mothers and Caregivers Economic Rights Committee will cover work and life balance topics and an overview of pay equity legislation will be provided.
Room: Suite 2-3
The workshop exposes a hot topic auto insurers are trying to keep quiet -- the practice of charging higher premiums to drivers on the basis of lower-status education and occupation. Participants will discuss the tricks and truths of this and other classist, racist, sexist stereotypes used in the insurance industry and how the cents-per-mile rates now offered in Texas eliminate these discriminations. Upcoming opportunities to inform both legislators and the public include a July 11 meeting of insurance legislators in Philadelphia to consider the pros and cons of status rating.
Room: Plaza Ballroom
This panel will address an invaluable organizing tool of the modern feminist movement: blogging. From the comfort of their own rooms, bloggers have the ability to connect feminists across the globe! Hear how the founders of Feministing.org and VivaLaFeminista.com started their blogs and keep them fresh and relevant. This workshop will map out the basics of blogging such as starting up a blog, websites you can use and ways to promote your blog. Leave with the tools to not only tackle potential organizing pitfalls (such as exclusion of those who do not have computer access) but also tools that help mobilize feminists to create change in their community.
Room: Suite 13-14
So you've laid out your plans for an event, phone bank, or mailing to raise money for your chapter or state. How can you make sure it will be a success? Good fundraising always starts with good messaging. Learn from some feminist fundraising pros how to craft clear, compelling messages that go straight to the heart of NOW's mission and goals. These skills are more important than ever during challenging economic times and are absolutely essential to effective feminist advocacy.
Room: Metro Suite
Want to encourage more feminist women candidates to run for elective office? Why not form a Political Action Committee? Hear how Philadelphia NOW PAC and Michigan NOW PAC established and operate their Political Action Committees to empower women and expand feminist Influence Additionally, panelists will discuss some of the complicated laws relating to PACs and to lobbying activities by 501(c) 4 organizations. This intensive workshop will help chapter activists learn how to increase their political clout, support great feminist candidates and develop their political skills.
Room: Suite 6-7
Room: Suite 15
Room: Suite 4-5
Join us to discuss the importance of early education to prevent abuse and violence. Learn what to do when those methods fail, including recognizing symptoms of child-abuse and warning signs of emotional abuse, which can lead to physical abuse. Finally, the panel will offer ways to help survivors of abusive trauma through Trauma Informed Care.
Room: Suite 13-14
Reforming the nation's "non-system" of health care is the red hot topic in Congress right now. Almost everyone agrees that we must have a comprehensive reform plan that guarantees access to quality and affordable health care coverage for all. Legislation under consideration includes an option that would allow individuals and families to either keep their employer-provided coverage or obtain coverage through a public insurance plan. Presenters will talk about the health care debate in Congress and why a public option is good for women, people of color, and the medical community. In addition, presenters will highlight a sampling of the state-level single-payer health care proposals.
Room: Suite 16
Join our panelists in an engaging discussion about the hot topics that affect women here and around the globe. Learn about the role that U.S. foreign policy and NGOs are playing in reducing violence against women, ending child marriage, improving access to reproductive health care, reducing poverty and maternal mortality and combating labor and sex trafficking. Find out what states -- like New York, California, Virginia and the District of Columbia -- have done to protect victims and prosecute traffickers. Presenters will also discuss the need for the U.S. to ratify CEDAW, without damaging restrictions, and suggest ways that this 'women's treaty' can be used to advance women's rights at state and local levels.
Room: Plaza Ballroom
One of the most pressing issues for NOW chapters is the crisis in the Family Court system. Former National NOW board member and family court Judge Doris Pechkurow will provide an overview of the situation and the challenges; founder of the National Family Court Project, Renee Beeker, will discuss information collected from a pilot project; and two mothers currently dealing with family courts will share their experiences. Come learn how a small chapter that adopted a Court Watch Project was able to remove a biased judge from the bench, and learn how to organize a family law task force to help protective mothers and advocate for reform.
Room: Metro Suite
Expand your feminist tool belt by developing effective strategies for encouraging and creating young feminists in your community. This workshop will highlight examples and strategies of campus and community-based activities to increase awareness and engagement within your neighborhood. Some examples include: games for presenting sex education, ideas for celebrating Love Your Body Day, tips on creating a successful petition that appeals to young women, and many, many more!
Room: Suite 2-3
NOW members attending the conference will be asked to provide baseline information on the issue of racism by completing a survey in the conference packet. The CRC will evaluate these responses to facilitate this "How to Combat Racism and Promote Diversity" session for individual and chapter actions. NOW's Combating Racism Committee suggests a practical approach for members and chapters to take steps towards combating racism. The goal is to establish measurable outcomes and timetables.
Room: Suite 6-7
Currently only 73 of 435 seats in the House of Representatives are held by women. Until women have a more substantial presence in Congress, it is vital to recruit feminist women candidates for all levels of political office -- ultimately, to gain a solid feminist foothold in the halls of power. Learn how to run and win in a conservative district, and hear from experienced political campaigners about a successful recruitment effort which moved late feminist Representative Julia Carson from a legislative staff position all the way to the U.S. House of Representatives, and how this model can be applied to your own community.
Room: Suite 15
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