Call for Proposals and Participants Drawing FergUSon Together: A Vision of Peace New Deadline: Friday July 10, 2015 Event: September 18 & 19, 2015 St. Louis Community College’s Florissant Valley campus seeks proposals from organizations, community members, citizens, artists and performers to participate in one or both days of a 2-­‐day event celebrating and promoting peace and community transformation in Ferguson and surrounding communities. Day 1: CHALK4PEACE Social Justice Summit: Peace is not the Absence of Protest (Friday) Day 1 of the event is dedicated to dialogue related to peace in Ferguson and its surrounding areas. The event will take place from 9am-­‐4pm on the campus of St. Louis Community College-­‐Florissant Valley, 3400 Pershall Road, Ferguson, Mo 63135. Participants will meet together for an opening keynote, attendees will choose the break-­‐out sessions they want to attend, and then reconvene for a collective closing. We invite you to submit abstracts or proposals for papers, presentations, discussions, participatory panels, lectures, and interactive discussions for break-­‐out sessions of 30-­‐60 minutes. We are asking individuals, groups and/or organizations that seek to promote peace and justice and/or prevent and resolve conflict to apply. Proposed sessions could focus on: •
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Community projects Models for building peace Advocacy efforts Workshops Immersion experiences Best practices Conflict resolution Service learning Organizing and empowering our community Abstracts or proposals should be no more than two double-­‐spaced pages and should include your objectives/goals, format for your proposal (i.e. panel, lecture, discussion, participatory group, film,..) and contact information (phone and email address). Please also include any appropriate supporting information, such as your bio, your organization’s mission, website, images, or bios of individuals for a panel you would like to moderate and technology needs. Preference will be given to proposals that creatively incorporate group participation to promote peace, harmony, and cooperation utilizing all-­‐
inclusive approaches. Who is invited to submit a proposal? Students of all ages, teachers, scholars, academics, parents, grandparents, administrators, professors, counselors, social workers, school psychologists, coaches, community-­‐based educators, activists/organizers, artists, and community leaders. Day 2: CHALK4PEACE A Community Celebration (Saturday) Day 2 of the event is open to the community and will provide a platform for peaceful demonstration and celebration. The day’s activities will take place on the campus of St. Louis Community College -­‐ Florissant Valley from 11am-­‐3pm, and will center on our shared vision and hopes for peace and justice. The main group activity will be lead by the international Chalk4Peace organization – www.Chalk4peace.wordpress.com The day’s activities are free and open to the public. We invite you to submit a proposal for group activities, performances, or information booths that will bring the community together as we continue healing and developing our vision for peace in Ferguson. Proposals should be no more than two pages double-­‐spaced, and should include your goals/objectives and contact information (phone and email address). Please also include any appropriate supporting information, such as a bio, artist statement, organization’s mission statement, website, images and utility needs. Participants will meet and greet community members and visitors to the campus, direct their activities, join in the CHALK4PEACE painting, and participate in closing events. Who is invited to submit a proposal? Performers, artists, art organizations, performance-­‐based organizations, peace and social justice organizations, community organizations, faith-­‐based organizations, schools, and more. Interested parties need to specify desire to participate in one or both of the events. Submit proposals in a Word document or pdf format to Lonetta Oliver at loliver38@stlcc.edu by 5pm. Friday July 10, 2015. Selected participants will be asked to support the conference with a participation donation of $25. The funds will be used to support Ferguson residents to attend the conference on Day 1. For more information on this event, please contact Janice Nesser-­‐Chu at (314) 513-­‐4861 or jnesser@stlcc.edu. St. Louis Community College expands minds and changes lives every day. We create accessible, dynamic learning environments focused on the needs of our diverse communities. www.stlcc.edu