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Conference Planning 101:
Learning From
and
Building Upon
the Experiences of
Keepin’ it Real
June 21, 2003
By Azmina Ladha,
Conference Coordinator
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Table of Contents
Pages
Welcome Letter 3
Conference Lowdown 4
Conference Keynote 7
What Were the Workshops 9
Conference Critical Analysis 12
Sample Evaluation Form 15
Feedback from the Girls 16
Game Plan for Future Conferences 17
10 Tips for Conference Coordinators 21
Thank You’s 22
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Dear Reader,
My name’s Azmina Ladha and in the summer of 2003, I had the honor and
pleasure of being part of a very unique experience. Working with the FREDA Centre for
Research on Violence against Women and Children, academics, community partners and
numerous girls, I was given the opportunity to coordinate Keepin’ it Real: Girls Speaking
Out about Diversity, an all day leadership conference for marginalized girls at the SFU
Harbour Centre in downtown Vancouver. While most of the girls were from traditionally
marginalized communities, they were all from various backgrounds and life experiences.
More than 100 girls came together at this “for girls, by girls” conference to share their
knowledge and build alliances for change. The conference was a safe and comfortable
forum where they spoke out about issues of identity. They were hopefully empowered to
turn various disadvantages into sources of strength through fun and relevant
presentations, forums and workshops- all presented by young women.
The following final report, Conference Planning 101: Learning From and
Building Upon the Experiences of Keepin’ it Real, is designed not only to summarize and
critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the conference, but more importantly,
to be a guide for future conferences of this nature. I have tried to provide pointers from
my own experience to make the process easier for future coordinators. What would be
better than a provincial conference that brings girls to a location such as Prince George so
they could discuss issues of race, gender, sexuality, disAbility in a community
marginalized by it’s very location and nature? Or in the future, how about a national
conference that brings these girls and their experiences to Ottawa to dialogue with policy
makers? That is where I hope future visionaries take this. If you are an academic,
community partner or funder, I hope this report allows you a small glimpse into an event
that was truly inspiring for many of the girls present. It is important to recognize that
many of the girls had never had such an opportunity for dialogue or empowerment in the
past. If you are a conference co-coordinator, I hope the manual helps you in your
planning and I wish you the best in your endeavor.
Here’s to similar conferences all over the country, all year round!
Warm Regards,
Azmina Ladha
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Conference Lowdown
In an effort to encourage others to organize and participate in leadership
conferences, especially if they were not present at this one, it is necessary to provide a
summary of Keepin’ it Real. This detailed breakdown of the day is also necessary to
sufficiently analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the day.
Agenda
9:00am – 10:00am Registration and Breakfast Buffet
• Registration closes at 9:30am
10:00am – 11:00am Welcome and Icebreakers
11:00am – 12:30pm an understanding of brown
• An awesome play about discovering who you are and
having the courage to be that!
• Followed by small group discussions led by group
leaders
12:30pm – 1:30pm Lunch Buffet
1:30pm – 2:45pm Workshop A- Think Outside the Box!
• Participants choose one interesting topic workshop
2:45pm – 3:00pm Snack Break
3:00pm – 4:15pm Workshop B- Be Wildly Creative!
• Participants choose one fun activity workshop
4:15pm – 5:00pm Closing Ceremony
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The day began with girls arriving and registering. At the registration table, each
of the girls was assigned a group and a group leader. They were also handed a
conference package and were encouraged to put on a conference t-shirt to get into the
spirit. The most creative element of this process was that each group got a different
colored t-shirt, meaning that the “Determination” group wore yellow t-shirts while the
“Power” group wore red ones. This enabled the girls to quickly identify fellow group
members when they felt lost but also allowed them to make new friends by providing a
topic for introducing themselves to another group of girls.
Furthermore, each group was led by an incredibly dynamic young woman who
not only had a diverse background but physically looked and acted in her own unique
way. Amongst the volunteer group leaders was a Rhodes scholar, the Volunteer
Coordinator of the Asian Society for the Intervention of Aids, and a UN intern. All of the
group leaders attended a training and orientation brunch two weeks before the conference
where they got a chance to meet each other and ask questions regarding the conference.
They were also provided with a training manual that included information and definitions
on different forms of oppression and marginalization along with information on how to
be good leader. Some of the handouts went through various definitions of race, identity,
and multiculturalism while others built on the ideas of Paolo Freire’s popular education
and stressed that group leaders be cognizant that each of the girls had her story and was
thus capable of educating and dialoguing with others.
Breakfast was followed by a welcome by Azmina Ladha who quickly went over
the agenda and led the entire group of more than 100 girls in a round of introductions.
The then wished the girls well and introduced Rose Point for an Aboriginal opening and
welcome. Rose spoke of her personal experiences as a female member of a marginalized
group. The girls were given glimpses into her childhood and that of her children and
realized exactly how important her community and its well being were to her.
In an effort to get the girls talking and having fun, we organized two icebreakers.
First, group leaders led their girls in a short icebreaker of their choice. Enclosed in the
group leader packages were some suggestions but they were encouraged to use ones they
were already familiar with or ones they had learned in the past. Some groups played
name games associating names with stories from their childhood while others got to
know the girls sitting on their right and left side and then proceeded to introduce each
other to the group.
For the second icebreaker, group leaders used the package of colored balloons,
ribbons and slips of paper at the center of your table. Each girl was given a yellow slip of
paper that stated, “Girls ______.” Group leaders suggested words like powerful or
phrases like “can do anything” but girls were encouraged to come up with their own
ideas. Each girl put her slip inside her balloon, where there was already another slip of
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paper, which read, “I will work to _____.” The girls then proceeded to blow up their own
balloons, tied them with a ribbon to their chair.
The icebreakers were followed by a plenary consisting of a one-woman play and
debrief and discussion. an understanding of brown, created and presented by Lesley
Ewen, tells the story of a biracial woman coming to terms with her identity. In an ever
changing, dynamic manner, Lesley addressed issues of race, gender, sexuality, power and
most importantly, of realizing, accepting and loving oneself. Please see Section 3,
Conference Keynote, for more details on the presentation and information as to how
group leaders led small group discussions with their girls after Lesley’s performance.
After an action packed morning, we broke for lunch. The girls were free to sit
with any of their friends, but group leaders were encouraged to make sure none of their
girls were sitting by themselves or felt isolated. Lunch was followed by two sets of
workshops in the afternoon. When registering, the girls were asked to choose their top
three workshop choices in each bracket of workshops, and we tried our best to place
everyone accordingly. While the first set was more issue oriented and the second, more
fun, both sets were designed to equip girls with the tools to critically analyze the world
around them. For a detailed description of both sets of workshops, please see the What
Were the Workshops? section. During the last ten minutes of their second workshop, the
girls filled out evaluation forms, and turned them in to the workshop facilitators. Group
leaders were encouraged to check that this has been done when they re-grouped with their
girls for the closing ceremony in the main hall.
More than 100 exhausted and hopefully, inspired girls gathered in the main hall
for a closing ceremony. Azmina said a few closing words, and proceeded to thank all of
the amazing volunteers and girls for participating. The girls then took up the icebreaker
they had begun at the opening ceremony. The each took their balloon, popped it, and
filled out the slip of paper inside which stated, “I will work to ________” (group leaders
gave possible suggestions to their girls including “end violence against girls,” “be more
creative,” “tell others about today.”). Each girl kept this piece of paper to remind her of
her ability to contribute, and took her original “Girls ______” paper and swapped it with
one of her new friends. Hence, each girl went home with a new meaning of what girls
were, and what she could do to make that a reality. After this final closing exercise
where the conference came full circle, the groups said their goodbyes.
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Conference Keynote
What if who you are lies between the options offered?
How do you find your place? What has to be given up or discovered afresh?
an Understanding Of Brown
charts the process of
Realizing and Accepting who one is.
It is the story of a woman who is both
Black and White
"the sum of the parts".
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Actor, Writer, Director Lesley Ewen is a brown skinned woman of
Scottish and Jamaican heritage... In poetic prose she explores the
racism she’s inherited . ..from her White mother? ...from her
community?
By sifting her way through memory, submerged beliefs and received
propaganda she finds and claims space for herself somewhere
between black and white . This piece is about the process of
discovering who one is and having the courage to be that.
“These are the signposts that have guided me to where I live ...in the
space between the givens”.
an understanding of brown
Agenda
11:00 - 11:30 Performance
11:30 – 11:50 Q&A
11:50 – 12:10 Small Group Discussions
12:10 – 12:30 Large Group Discussion
Questions for Group Leaders to Use in Small Discussions (suggestions to encourage
discussion are in the parentheses following the actual question)
1) What makes up who you are?
(gender, ethnicity, interests, physicality, neighborhood, friends)
2) How has your sense of who you are changed over the past 5 years?
(you’ve moved, changed schools, started your period, got a job, got a
boyfriend/girlfriend)
3) How do you think differently about the world now compared to 5 years ago?
(you know what you want to do in it, it’s scarier)
4) How do you want the world to feel in 5 years? Who do you want to be in 5 years, 10
years?
(stronger, smarter, more confident, more peaceful, braver)
5) What are some of the ways you can make this happen?
(focus on studying, read about people you admire)
Lesley led the entire group in a short Q & A session following the presentation. This
allowed time for a debrief and a cool down period. After she asked two or three questions, she
then steered the discussion away from herself so that girls could reflect upon themselves, and
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their experiences. The group leaders then led their groups in small discussions. Many of them
used some or all of the questions above. Lesley then brought all the groups back into a larger
group discussion and did a short wrap-up.
During the planning stages, many group leaders had expressed discomfort with the idea
of not having a strictly formatted discussion. However, Lesley assured them that the large group
discussion have never been “planned” in that the questions have been completely predetermined.
The girls take it in the direction that is best for them and that is best for the group. She stressed
that she had done the show many times, and it had been a success each and every time.
What Were the Workshops?
Workshops A: Think Outside the Box
1) Being a Leader and Feeling Good About It- Presented by Mee Lain Ling and Nazlin Rafiq
Both Mee Lain and Naz have strong backgrounds working with youth in a
leadership capacity. Furthermore, both have educational backgrounds in feminist theory
and practice. Bringing their experiences to one of our most popular workshops, they
welcomed their girls to an hour and half of self esteem building and sheer fun! Through
various games and leadership exercises, they explored ideas of public speaking, alliance
building and team spirit. Furthermore, they encouraged each girl to regard her life
experiences as a source of strength and power.
2) What really is Violence against Women and Girls?- Presented by WAVAW
Having done crisis line volunteering and counseling at Women against Violence
against Women, both Lisa Lafreniere and Susan Gill have a strong background in anti-
oppression work. They used their workshop session to talk about the power dynamic in a
patriarchal society. Engaging the girls in various role plays, they encouraged the girls to
identify sources of oppression in each scene. Furthermore, they brainstormed on
contemporary issues such as date rape.
3) Girls and the Law- Presented by Justice for Girls
Because both Joanne and Assantwa have extensive experience working with
wrongly accused young women and young women in custody, they discussed issues of
legal access and police violence in their workshop. Having monitored the Reena Virk
trial in the past, they introduced the girls to the case and had them develop prevention
strategies for the future.
4) Looking at Beauty in a Whole New Way- Presented by Amina Rai
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One of the most popular workshops examined the beauty myth perpetrated by the
media. Girls were led through a beauty timeline of sorts and were introduced to the idea
that the definition of beauty changed over time (while thin was in now, years ago, being
larger was a sign of financial security and comfort while thinness was attributed to
poverty). Girls had the chance to dissect what was considered beautiful, by who and for
what purpose. They also discussed connections with self esteem and eating disorders.
5) Let’s Talk about Health & Sexuality- Presented by GAB Youth Services
Lyndsay Kay and Tania LaSalle facilitate a group called Connecting with Pride
for queer youth. In this workshop, they brainstormed about terms and definitions around
issues of sexuality. Furthermore, they attempted to dismantle stereotypes by telling
stories and painting portraits of different queer youth who looked and acted very
differently.
6) There ain’t no Racism or Sexism in Canada… Is there?- Presented by Indy Batth and
Ada Christopher
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Utilizing their previous facilitation skills and their experience with youth, Indy,
from UBC International House, and Ada, from SFU’s International Student Services,
went about discussing what an equitable nation would like. They brainstormed both
about blatant manifestations of racism and sexism and more importantly, got the girls
thinking about more subtle and inconspicuous forms of oppression. They also
encouraged the girls to challenge the status quo by pointing out racist and sexist elements
in society.
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Workshops B: Be Wildly Creative
1) Act Out All your Thoughts and Feelings- Presented by Anna Soole and Marketa Nykl
Bringing the fun of forum theater to this workshop, Anna and Marketa got the
girls running around and acting out scenes from their favorite movies and TV shows.
They then stopped to question whether this was an accurate reflection of reality and if
not, why not? Furthermore, the girls were introduced to drama as a means of self
expression and art.
2) Yoga and Finding Your Inner Peace- Presented by Shirin Mirsaeidi
Another exceptionally popular workshop, Shirin introduced girls to various yoga
positions and techniques, methods of stretching and different breathing exercises, while
leading them in a complete yoga routine. She also elaborated upon the various cultural
interpretations and exhibitions of yoga while providing the girls with insight into why it
was her preferred method of exercising and becoming in tune with her body and its
needs.
3) Who Says you can’t be a Writer?- Presented by Rahat Kurd
Author of Reading Rights: A Woman’s Guide to the Law in Canada, Rahat
Kurd, a young Muslim Canadian writer led the girls in a series of “free write” exercises
where she gave them an opportunity to reflect on their backgrounds and lived realities.
4) Taking Important Pictures- Presented by Nana Hashimoto
An incredibly popular and exciting workshop in which Nana and her volunteers
led a group of girls, equipped with disposable cameras, around downtown Vancouver.
The girls snapped pictures of people and situations that they found striking in some
manner. The girls discussed issues of race and poverty, especially as they related to the
Downtown Eastside. Plans are underway for a second meeting of the girls to examine the
pictures taken and to formulate some sort of a display and presentation of their work.
5) Hip Hop Dance and Spoken Word- Presented by Cassandra Onyejikne and Tammy
Theis
By far one of the most fun workshops, spoken word artist Ndidi Cascade and her
break dancing partner, Tammy Theis, introduced the girls to the idea of conscious lyrics
with different beats and rhythms. They then got the girls groovin’ to different forms of
music in an effort to raise their socio-political awareness. The two of them used hip-hop
as a medium to deal with self-esteem, racism, sexism, and other social issues while
teaching techniques around dancing and writing lyrics and dancing.
6) Draw Your Dreams and Desires- Presented by Maya Ersan
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Emily Carr student activist Maya Ersan bought an eclectic blend of art, history
and international traveling experience to this wild and crazy collage making workshop.
Girls were given a short amount of time to pick a topic around female empowerment and
were then let loose with a stack of beauty magazines. After much giggling, cutting and
gluing, the collages were exchanged and worked on by other girls in the group. At the
end, diversity and creativity were exhibited in colorful, artistic displays.
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Conference Critical Analysis
At then end of the day, it is necessary to critically examine the strong points and
flaws of the conference. Simply put, what worked and what didn’t? This is a sensitive
process but one that is extremely necessary if you hope your conference will be a
stepping stone for bigger and better events and experiences in the future. Often times,
your conference or event will be part of a bigger project or goal; hence, it becomes even
more important to map out your event’s contribution to the future of the project.
Keepin’ it Real: Girls Speaking Out about Diversity actually arose out of a very
large research project at the FREDA Centre for Research. In an effort to determine the
impact of the intersectionality of race and gender in the lives of immigrant and refugee
girls in Canada, numerous academics and community partners came together in various
working groups. This was followed by several focus groups with girls from a variety of
marginalized communities. One of the things the girls repeatedly mentioned was the
creation of some kind of body of girls; hence, the Girls Advisory, composed of a small
group of girls from various backgrounds and life experiences, was created as a sounding
board for FREDA initiatives and research strategies. While the concept of participatory
action research is touted by many organizations, the FREDA Centre included girls in
every phase of its research. Furthermore, they took their suggestions and advice
seriously. The conference is only one of the projects, albeit the largest, undertaken by the
Advisory. They were also instrumental in the publication of Re-Righting Reality: Young
Women on their Search for Self, an anthology of girl voices on various issues, as well as
in the creation of a double disc collection regarding the portrayal women in music over
time.
Perhaps the best indicator of the success of Keepin’ it Real is from the comments
of the girls during the icebreaker exercise. These were girls who were different
ethnicities and races, who came from different socio-economic brackets and who lived
very different lives and yet their responses were overwhelmingly inspiring in their
simplicity. Many of them had never had the opportunity to come together and dialogue
with other young women on issues that were central to their lives. Some of them even
went as far as to say that they considered themselves slightly “freakish” when they
contemplated the issues of race and gender and sexuality and their impact on their
futures, primarily because they were almost conditioned to ignore the serious issues for
discussions regarding clothes, boys and makeup. In that sense, the conference was an
inspiring experience for all the girls- participants, volunteers, and facilitators- involved.
Perhaps this point is best illustrated by a random sampling of comments the girls wrote
on their little slips of paper when they participated in the balloon icebreaker exercise.
They even contemplated what their contribution would be once they went home.
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Girls:
• Will rule the world
• Can do anything
• : Listen! We have something to say
• Mean infinite possibilities
I will work to:
• Be the best
• Improve the status of women
• Give back to my community
• Wards feeling complete inside and out
• Believing that I can achieve anything I set my mind to
• Empower other girls
Furthermore, this was the first time many of the girls came into contact with the
concept of intersectionality. While that was one of the primary themes of the conference
and there was a very specific and definite effort to recruit girls from racialized and
marginalized communities, it was interesting to note that many of the girls did not
consider themselves to be any different from mainstream, “white” society. These issues
were best raised in the small group discussions following Lesley Ewen’s presentation.
Perhaps that is why Ewen’s performance was such an overwhelming success and the girls
even gave her a standing ovation. Many went up to her after the show and hugged and
cried with her for her courage. Girls of color and biracial girls began identifying
experiences that they had not necessarily deemed racist in the past. More importantly,
the girls developed their own strategies of leadership and resistance to face the world.
Many of them said that they were examining their identity in a different way and feeling
more positive about their differences after this conference.
In hindsight and after assessing the evaluations, it is clear there were certain
shortcomings in the conference. Many of these can easily be rectified for future
conferences of this nature. To begin with, the outreach and recruitment did not start soon
enough. Up until the last day, we were receiving inquiries from interested girls about
how and when they could register. As well, many girls registered on site on the day of
the conference even though this was not listed as an option on the registration forms.
Furthermore, it would have been beneficial to have an online registration process only
because there was a detailed website with the conference information but it required girls
to print out the registration form and mail or fax it in. This was a more complicated
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process than necessary, especially because many girls did not have access to fax
machines.
Many girls noted in their evaluations that the workshops were both the best and
the worst part of the day. This is a clear indicator that certain workshops were very
popular and enjoyable while others faltered somewhat. This was such an issue that it was
hard to make sure girls went to the workshops they had registered for, especially once
they interacted with facilitators during the day and identified their favourites. Many
workshop facilitators felt somewhat let down because they did not have a large enough
group while others were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and had to close the door to
interested girls only because they had not brought enough resources and their room was
not big enough. In the future, this problem can be addressed by having a meeting with
facilitators beforehand (similar to the one we had with volunteers and group leaders). In
this meeting, it is essential to stress that they will be working with girls, and not activists
or academics. The language they use and the manner in which they present information
must be fun and accessible. Furthermore, the content of the workshop is important but
the minute details such as dates or authors’ names or articles are not. Girls react to issues
and ideas much better than they do to theories and formulations.
Finally, one of the key flaws was the wrap-up phase of Keepin’ it Real. Partially
because there was only one coordinator who was intellectually and physically exhausted
by the end of the event, and partially because there was no clear direction as to what was
expected or most beneficial, very little was done to maintain the momentum of that one
incredible day. It would have been entirely possible to create a second Girls Advisory
composed of interested girls from the conference and to have this Advisory plan a second
conference or have them help in analyzing the data from this conference. Furthermore,
proposals for additional funding for future events even larger in scope could have been
submitted based on the success of this conference. Finally, it would have been nice to
have maintained some sort of a conference website where we could have posted
conference photos, the final report and information on future events. This would have
been a great forum for a “reflections” section where participants could have posted their
thoughts and ideas about not only the conference but about the future.
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Evaluation Form
You Kept it Real and now, it’s time to make YOUR opinion count!
It’s completely confidential so tell us what you thought of the day…
Rating: 5 = Totally Rocked!
4 = I liked it. It was Cool
3 = Um, it was OK.
2 = It wasn’t so Good
1 = Man, what were you guys thinking??
• Breakfast & Registration _____
• Morning Icebreakers _____
• Play: an understanding of brown _____
• Discussion: an understanding of brown _____
• Lunch _____
• Snack _____
• I’d give my group leader a (same number scale as above) _____
• For Workshop A, I went to: ____________________
I’d give it a (same number scale as above) _____
• For Workshop B, I went to: ____________________
I’d give it a (same number scale as above) _____
• The best thing about Keepin’ it Real was:
______________________________________________________________________
• The thing that needed the most improvement was:
______________________________________________________________________
• I’d be interested in helping plan something like this in the future: YES NO
• I’d be interested in attending something like this in the future: YES NO
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The best thing about Keepin’ it Real was:
• Everything!
• I learned that I am not alone in my feelings
• The coming together of all sorts of AMAZING WOMEN!
• Discussions with interesting people with different experiences and backgrounds
• Hearing about other girls’ activism, and opinions
• Being able to choose from so many workshops
• The safe space
• Meeting so many cool, strong and inspiring girls and sharing ideas
• That women are the coolest people in the world!
• The amazing people leading, organizing and attending
• Discussing issues that are otherwise ignored as if they don’t exist!
• The friendliness of all participants
• Connecting not only with people who do similar kinds of work but also with
YOUNG women who are not in university or working
• Being myself
• The training sessions on leadership
• The constant dialogues between the groups
• The diversity of all the young women
• The idea of color t-shirts was great
The thing that needed the most improvement was:
• It rocked- I can’t say there was much that needed improvement on. You’re
amazing!
• Directions in discussions
• Maybe make the conference longer
• Not sitting at the tables next time- sitting on the floor gives more space
• Expand participation
• There was too much food- the snack was maybe not needed
• Put a limit of participants at the workshops (especially the hip hop one)
• Keeping track of time
• The workshops could be longer- maybe 2 parts with a break in between?
• Changing the registration so it’s more organized
• Making sure the facilitators are geared for a youth audience
• Longer! It should have been longer
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Conference Game Plan
So, you want to organize a conference? You want this conference to be one of the
first in a community where there may not a concerted effort or discussion on this specific
issue?
I) Pre-Conference Issues
1) What are your goals and objectives?
a. Are there clear guidelines for you and your staff as to what you will
accomplish, when and how?
b. Are they framed in a manner that is accessible to various brackets of
society?
c. Are the goals realistic given time and budgetary constraints?
2) How will you go about planning this event?
a. What sort of financial resources do you have?
b. What avenues do you have for obtaining additional monetary funds?
i. Can you research additional sources by discussing options with
allies?
c. Are you planning this event by yourself or in partnership with other
individuals and/or organizations?
i. If so, are their goals and expectations similar to yours?
ii. If not, is your vision consistent with the resources you as an
individual have?
iii. How and to what extent are you incorporating the ideas of
potential participants and allies? (consider developing working
groups with community partners and/or participants)
1. In incorporating suggestions from working groups, how
will you balance competing interests?
2. How will you make sure their participation in pre-
conference meetings is consistent and efficient?
3) Who is your target audience?
a. Who are your participants? (consider aspects like age, gender, race and
class)
i. How accessible is the event to individuals from different societal
brackets? Are you targeting marginalized individuals and
communities?
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ii. To what extent are you putting in mechanisms to ease this?
(consider things like no registration fees, a venue accessible by
public transit, bus tickets)
b. Who are your funders?
i. Are you inviting them to the event?
1. If so, will they feel comfortable and included? Will they
leave having gained something?
2. If not, why not? Are there mechanisms in place where they
can still find out about the event (via final report or
conference video?)
4) What do you hope to accomplish?
a. To what extent do you hope to impact policy makers and subsequent
policies on this issue?
b. Are your participants coming for a single day or will they be involved in
some manner in the future?
c. Is this a one-time event or will it be an annual event?
II) Conference Specifics
1) How will you recruit participants?
a. What are you resources as far as advertising and recruitment? (consider
doing poster blitzes in schools and community centers, advertisements in
youth newspapers, interviews on community radio shows)
b. What sort of a registration procedure do you have in place? (consider how
you will handle on-site registrations on the day of the conference)
c. How will you screen out participants that are not part of your target
group?
2) How will you recruit volunteers to help with the event?
a. Do you have a diverse sampling of volunteers?
i. If not, what avenues can you explore to make sure there is a
adequate representation of different life experiences?
b. Is there a mechanism to train volunteers and give them a chance to get to
know each other and ask questions before the event?
c. Are you allocating money to provide an honorarium for them?
3) What mechanisms are in place to make sure participants are comfortable at the
event?
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a. What are you doing to create a “safe space?”
b. What type of icebreakers are you organizing to make sure participants get
a chance to get to know each other?
c. Have you encouraged volunteers to make sure participants are not feeling
left out, are not sitting alone during meals and are making new friends?
d. Is there a counselor on site to deal with issues that may arise?
4) What type of a keynote address is it? (consider motivational speakers, plays,
musicals)
a. Is your presenter capable of bringing a large, diverse group together in a
cohesive manner while allowing them to express their own views?
b. Does the presenter have experience in conflict resolution and strategic
planning?
c. Will there simply be one large presentation or are you allowing an
opportunity for smaller discussion groups afterward?
i. If not, why?
ii. If so, who will facilitate these small groups? Have you provided
enough training to your volunteers to be able to accomplish this?
5) What type of smaller workshops will you have at your event?
a. How are you deciding what topics will be addressed and how?
b. Is there a means of regulating the number of participants in each
workshop, ensuring each workshop has enough people and not too many?
c. Do you know the format and content of each facilitator’s workshop?
i. Has each facilitator submitted some sort of a summary
beforehand?
d. How are you making sure workshops do not go over the allotted time?
6) How many meals will you have?
a. Have you considered various dietary restrictions?
7) Have you considered legal issues such as media releases and liability forms?
a. What sort of a mechanism is in place for minors?
b. How are you reassuring parents that their children will be safe in your
care?
8) How will the conference be recorded?
a. Is there someone who is taking photographs or video footage?
b. Does that person have clear instruction as to what he or she is trying to
capture on film?
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c. Is there a way to get participants candid reactions recorded throughout the
day?
9) What mechanism is in place for conference evaluations?
a. Is there some sort of incentive for participants to fill out evaluation forms?
b. Is there a better way of evaluating the experience than by numerical rankings?
C. Have you considered how you will analyze these evaluations? What end
do they serve?
III) Post Conference Steps
1) How are you analyzing participant evaluations?
a. Is the process open and transparent?
b. Can participants be a part of wrap up type sessions so they can reflect on
the experience?
2) What sort of format will the final report that you submit to the funders take?
a. Is there enough funding to have different methods of reporting back?
(consider things like a written report, a video, and/or a memory book)
b. Will this report be available for participants to read and comment upon?
c. Are you expecting feed back from your funders?
i. If so, what will this feedback be used for?
3) Are you having a thank you party or presenting tokens of appreciation to
conference volunteers?
a. Are you able to mail out honorariums in an efficient manner?
4) Is there a mechanism in place to keep participants connected after the conference?
a. Have you asked participants if it is ok that their contact information (name
and email address) be available for distribution to other participants
b. Would participants like to be contacted for future events?
c. Can each workshop facilitator send out information to their workshop
participants after the conference on future events on similar topics?
5) What are the prospects of making this an annual event?
a. Have you explored additional funding options?
b. Are you considering expanding it in scope, either by reaching out to
different targeted groups or making it a provincial or a national event in
partnership with other groups?
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10 Tips For Conference Co-ordinators:
How To Keep Your Sanity while Organizin’ and Revolutionizin’
1. From the outset, make a list of your contacts. Approach them early on to tell them about
your plans and ask them if they’d like to help or if they know of anyone who can help.
2. It is important to have pre-conference consultations and focus groups with different
groups that will be involved in the actual conference. Remember to consider service
providers and participants in these pre-conference meetings.
3. In the months preceding your conference, attend any and all conferences on related
subject matters. Use these as learning opportunities to plan your own conference.
Introduce yourself, tell interested participants about your plans, and make sure you
collect their contact information if they’d like to be contacted for the conference. Take
detailed notes on the positive and negative elements of the conference along with your
thoughts on how to address these issues during your conference.
4. Remember to carry your business cards everywhere you go. Opportunities for free
promotion and “selling” of your event pop up in the strangest places!
5. Hire someone or have someone volunteer to do a poster blitz. With everything else that
you and your fellow co-ordinators will be doing, you will not have enough time to be
driving around putting up and passing out fliers.
6. Set aside two or three specific slots of time in your day for returning phone calls and
emails getting back to individuals with questions or those requiring more information.
Otherwise, you’ll find yourself checking your email and voice mail numerous times only
to break your work rhythm to send the same email fifteen separate times.
7. Thank EVERYONE! No matter how small their advice or contribution to the event is,
they have deemed it worthy of their time and attention and that is priceless.
8. Make a “Conference Emergency” Kit making sure to include things like masking tape, a
stapler, pens, paper, scissors, extra nametags… On the day of the conference make your
conference volunteers know exactly where this will be kept.
9. Don’t try and be Super Co-ordinator. Ask for help from co-workers, friends and family
when you’re overwhelmed.
10. And the silliest but perhaps the most necessary tip…Breathe and remember to get sleep!
You are of no help on the day of the conference if you are not well rested and at least
semi-rational.
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We would like to thank:
Yolanda Afghan Nassim Mobbasher
Indy Batth Marketa Nykl
Marianne Bullied Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah
Andrea Canales Assantwa Ocran
Ada Christopher Cassandra Onyejikne
Christa Clinchy Mehreen Poonja
Rosalyn Cua Jennifer Propp
Maya Ersan Nazlin Rafiq
Susan Gill Amina Rai
Nana Hashimoto Zainab Roya
Shehnaz Karim Renuka Sethi
Lyndsay Kay Manju Sidhu
Rahat Kurd Social Sciences & Humanities Research
Council
Lisa Lafreniere
Anna Soole
Tania La Salle
Status of Women Canada
Monica Lee
Tammy Theis
Mee Lain Ling
Kate Woznow
Shirin Mirsaeidi
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