NCADP 2009 Annual Conference: Training for the Long Run

Holiday Inn Harrisburg East

January 22 - 25, 2009

Workshop Sessions of Interest to First Time Attendees

Basic Arguments Against the Death Penalty: This quickshop provides the main arguments against the death penalty: what are the key messages and when should they be employed?  This session will be presented on Saturday,  January 24, 2009.

Basic Overview on the Death Penalty: This capital punishment 101 session is particularly valuable for people new to the issue and those wishing to be up to date on the latest issues.  This workshop presents the nuts and bolts of the death penalty, including: The state of the law and new legal developments, who is on death row, an overview of the stages of a capital trial and the appellate process, and a summary of clemency procedure.  This session will be presented on Saturday,  January 24, 2009.

Catholic Theology and the Death Penalty: Specifically for Catholics, everyone is welcome for this review of current Catholic teaching about capital punishment.  This session will be presented on Saturday,  January 24, 2009.

Cultivating Your Elevator Speech: The first in a series of communications training programs at this conference, participants will enhance their skills at speaking concisely against the death penalty using the most powerful messages.  Whether you’re a seasoned activist or new to the issue, it is always useful to know how to marshal your arguments and present them it at the drop of a hat.  This interactive training will help you make the most persuasive and effective messages against the death penalty.  This session will be presented on Friday, January 23, 2009.

Death Penalty Overview and Update: This capital punishment 101 session is particularly valuable for people new to the issue and those wishing to be up to date on the latest issues.  This workshop presents the nuts and bolts of the death penalty, including: The state of the law and new legal developments, who is on death row, an overview of the stages of a capital trial and the appellate process, and a summary of clemency procedure.  This session will be presented on Friday, January 23, 2009.

Letters to the Editor as an Effective Campaign Tool: There is an art to writing a crisp, on-message and engaging letters to the editor about the death penalty, and participants will benefit from learning the “how to” and a little practice.  Equally important is understanding how to use letters to the editor as part of an effective communications strategy.  As such, this workshop will also unveil a new model for monitoring print media and coordinating appropriate and timely proactive and reactive letters to the editor.  This session will be presented on Friday, January 23, 2009.

Lights, Camera, Action:  You’re on TV! You’re at the statehouse.  Suddenly the local TV reporter has the camera on you.  They might use seven seconds of your two minute interview.  Are you ready to speak with concise messages?  Workshop participants will learn tips for speaking to broadcast media, from short news interviews to longer public policy discussions.  Most participants will benefit from watching several trainees do an initial on-camera interview, receive coaching, and try it again to witness instantaneous improvements!  This session will be presented on Friday, January 23, 2009.

On-line Social Networking and E-Advocacy: Looking for tactics to mobilize your membership through the Internet? This session takes a look at action alerts, blogging, and social networking sites.  This session will be presented on Saturday,  January 24, 2009.

Resolved:  Resolutions Build Membership and Energize Campaigns: Whether it’s a call for a study, moratorium, abolition, or action in a particular case, working with civic, community and faith groups to help them take a stand on the death penalty helps build membership and move a campaign forward.  Participants will learn how resolution efforts fit into larger campaigns, what kinds of groups to approach and how to approach them, planning for passing resolutions, the different kinds of resolutions, and most important, what to do once your resolution is approved.  This session will be presented on Friday, January 23, 2009.

Speaking Innocence to Power: This session will examine the rise of the innocence issue and look at how campaign strategists are using increased public awareness of the risk of executing the innocent as one of the most powerful arguments in the debate.  Oklahoma Death Row Survivor Curtis McCarty will share his experience.  This session will be presented on Friday, January 23, 2009.

The Bible and Contemporary US Death Penalty Law: “But it’s in the Bible!”  There are many references to the death penalty throughout the Scriptures, but does U.S. law live up to the strict guidelines and limitations on executions set forth in the Bible?  Join us for a lively and informative examination of the U.S. death penalty through the lens of Hebrew and Christian scriptures.  This session will be presented on Saturday,  January 24, 2009.

Working at the Local Level to Support Your State Strategy: Whether it is an individual wanting to volunteer a few hours a week, a church or student group seeking to make a tangible contribution, or a chapter of a state organization, the most important thing is to take actions that feed in to the state plan.  Participants will learn about core abolitionist strategies and leave with a clear understanding of how their work locally builds capacity to pass legislation at the state level.  This session will be presented on Saturday,  January 24, 2009.