Conference Schedule

Pre-conference training day: June 14, 2016

This day will focus on the use of arts-based work to grapple with power, privilege and identity. See below for more information (Additional charge to attend pre-conference day.  See "Costs" section below for more information).

Main conference: June 15 - 17, 2016
Each day will include some or all of the following:

• Collective plenary sessions
• Individual/panel events
• Interactive workshops, seminars, and circle sessions
• Space to host or take part in youth engagement, self-care, think-tank/debate, networking, and physical and social recreation to increase the body-mind connection.

The conference will end on the afternoon of June 17 with a dynamic storytelling event. Storytellers will have 10-20 minutes to share about their work.

Pre-Conference Training Day (June 14, 2016)

We are committed to critically exploring issues of power, privilege, and identity in restorative justice and have dedicated June 14th to explore these issues.

Join Ashana Bigard and Derek Roguski, a facilitation team based out of New Orleans as they lead participants through a series of Theater of the Oppressed workshops. Participants will place restorative justice in the broader context of contemporary race, power, and identity issues, and explore their own intersectional experience of power and identity as this informs their work in restorative justice.

There is an additional charge to attend the pre-conference day.  See "Costs" section below for more information.

Conference Themes

We have an incredibly diverse series of workshops, presentations and other interactive and/or elicitive events lined up throughout the conference.

Seven workshop sessions, each with up to six workshops, will allow you to choose from a variety of topics, themes, and issue areas in the field of restorative justice. Some sessions are facilitated or co-facilitated by youth RJ leaders.

Workshops will be presented on the following themes:

• Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence and RJ
• Youth and RJ
• School RJ implementations
• Prisons/Mass Incarceration and RJ
• Whole-systems transitions to RJ frameworks
• Arts, healing, somatic practices and RJ
• RJ and social movements/community organizing
• RJ and the military
• RJ and ecology/environmental movements
• Power, privilege, identity and RJ
   

Workshops will be presented in one or more of the following formats:

• Lecture/presentation
• Circle process
• Somatic and theater exercises
• Arts
• Panels
• Story-telling
• Skills workshop

Lodging and Meals

Participants who are not local can choose to stay on campus or arrange their own lodging off campus.

On-campus

• Attendees who stay on campus will stay in an EMU on-campus apartment in either Hillside Suites or Parkwood Apartments.
• Each apartment has 2 to 4 single or shared bedrooms adjoining a common living room, bathroom and kitchen. (Note, apartments are gender-specific but accommodations can be made for married couples or families with advance notice)
• There are a limited number of on-campus lodging spaces available. We will try to accommodate attendees in a single bedroom on a first-come, first-served basis. If the on-campus lodging fills up, conference attendees who register later will be in shared bedrooms. We cannot guarantee single bedrooms.
• For more information on lodging on campus at EMU, click here and look for the information on Hillside Suites and Parkwood Apartments.

Off-campus

• Attendees who prefer to arrange their own lodging can click here for more Information on area hotels, motels, and other accommodations.
• We cannot provide transportation from off-campus housing locations. If you stay off-campus, you will need a vehicle in order to get to and from the conference each day.

Meals during conference.

• The registration cost for on- or off-campus participation includes all meals and coffee breaks during the conference. Meals will begin with a light breakfast during registration on June 15 and last through lunch on June 17 (All meals other than first morning breakfast provided in the EMU cafeteria).
• Pre-conference day: Additional meals and coffee breaks provided for those choosing to attend the pre-conference day.

Transportation

Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is located in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, about 2.5 hours by car from Washington, DC, two hours from Richmond, VA, and one hour from Charlottesville, VA.

To get to campus you will need to request a pick-up from our shuttle service (provided by the Summer Peacebuilding Institute), rent a car, or hire a taxi. (Unfortunately, there is no public transportation between EMU and the nearest major airports (Dulles International and Reagan Airports in Washington, DC. Hiring a taxi from one of these locations will cost between $250 and $350).

We’ve provided information for those needing transportation to EMU from an airport, train station, or bus station. Prices for each pick-up location are listed below. More information on travel can be found online here.

Summary of Transportation Fees
One-way rates to or from EMU per person are as follows:

Airports

• Dulles International Airport (IAD)* – $140
• Charlottesville Albemarle Airport (CHO)* – $100
• Shenandoah Regional Airport (SHD)* – $30 (Airport shuttle, SPI will book)
• Reagan National Airport – $190
• Baltimore Washington International Airport – $225
• Roanoke Regional Airport – $190
• Richmond International airport – $190

Train stations

• Staunton, VA – $60 (taxi cost, no SPI pick-up)
• Charlottesville, VA – $100
• Washington, D.C. at Union Station – $190
• Washington, D.C. at Vienna Metro Station – $160

*Preferred location

The shuttle service works as follows:

• A vehicle will be sent to the airport only if a participant has requested pick-up or drop-off. Last minute requests will be honored if possible, but there is no guarantee.
• A pick-up time and pick-up location will be designated where participants will meet the driver. Participants will be notified of these details by email a week before travel.
• The pick-up time may be several hours after your scheduled arrival if more than one person is being picked up at a time.
• We are committed to minimizing our impact on the environment. To do this, we try to combine pick-ups where the times between arrival or departure are not too far apart. You may need to wait at the airport several hours if more than one person is being picked up.
• You will be dropped off at the EMU on-campus apartment you are staying at. Arrangements can be made to drop you at an off-campus location if this is known in advance.

Conference Fees

Main Conference days: June 15 - 17, 2016

• Full Registration: $400
• Conference Presenter: $320 (20% discount for presenters)
• College Students: $300

Included in your registration fee is the following:

• On-campus lodging with arrival on June 14 or 15 and departure on June 17 or 18 (see above under "Lodging and Meals" for information on earlier arrivals and types of lodging)
• All meals and coffee/tea breaks during conference
• Your choice of a book from the restorative justice section of our Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding series

Main conference, without lodging:

If you are local or prefer to arrange your own lodging, the following costs will apply:

• Full Registration: $250
• Conference Presenter: $200
• College Students: $150

Included in the off-campus registration fee is the following:

• All meals and coffee/tea breaks during conference
• Your choice of a book from the restorative justice section of our Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding series

(A list of hotels/motels and other accommodations in the area can be found by clicking here. Note that EMU is not within walking distance of any Harrisonburg hotels. You will need your own transport.)

Pre-conference day: June 14, 2016:

• Full registration: $100 (includes additional night lodging and meals on June 14; can arrive as early as June 13)
• Registration without lodging: $60

Travel grants and registration scholarships

A limited number of partial conference scholarships and/or travel grants are available. If you need help attending the conference, you will be able to note the help needed on the registration form.

How to Register

There are three main steps to registering for this conference:

Step 1: Fill out the conference registration form by clicking here

Please note.  This conference is limited to 120 people. Filling out the registration form reserves your spot at the conference as long as there is still space available.  If the conference is full, you will be placed on a waitlist and notified if a space becomes available due to cancellation.

Payment is NOT requested at the time of registration. In the registration form, you will be asked to indicate what type of conference registration you are requesting and if you wish to attend the pre-conference training day.

Step 2: Make your housing and transportation requests.

1-3 weeks after you complete the registration form, you will receive confirmation of your conference registration (or that you are on the waitlist). The confirmation will include a link to a reservation form for your housing and transportation needs (Please note, even if you do not need lodging or transportation, you will need to fill out this form to determine the total amount owed).

Step 3: Payment

Once your reservation requests have been made, we will prepare and send you an invoice. You will have two weeks from the date the invoice is sent to make full payment or contact us regarding a different payment method.

RJ Courses at the Summer Peacebuilding Institute

The Summer Peacebuilding Institute is holding two courses on restorative justice in the weeks prior to the conference.  Why not come early and take a class first?

Foundations of Restorative Justice (May 30 - June 3, 2016)

This course is for those new to Restorative Justice or looking to increase their knowledge and theory base in the field. Discuss an alternative to the criminal justice system’s focus on punishment. Identify needs and roles of key stakeholders in crimes or violence (victims, offenders, communities, and justice systems).

Truth-telling, Reconciliation & Restorative Justice (June 6 - 10, 2016)

Explore linkages between truth, justice, and truth-telling. Discuss informal and formal practices from around the world. Consider future applications in police violence against men of color in the US.

Visit the Summer Peacebuilding Institute website for more information.

To apply online, click here.