Available Workshops

This workshop provides an introduction to the process of utilizing mass media to promote solidarity campaigns and activities. Participants will learn how to increase the likelihood of getting positive coverage by cultivating media contacts, writing and distributing press releases and advisories, and developing a basic messaging strategy. Classroom exercises will include the analysis of actual press releases, news articles, and media clips. A framework for evaluating coverage received will also be presented.

This highly interactive workshop is intended for those already familiar with media relations fundamentals, either through prior training or direct experience. Participants will learn about interviewing techniques, press conferences, crisis management, and how to test the effectiveness of proposed messaging before implementing it in a campaign. Classroom exercises will include mock interviews and analysis of actual interview footage.

With college campuses reemerging as a major battleground for Palestine solidarity activists mounting campaigns focused on institutional divestment, it is more critical than ever that campaigns be carefully planned and executed. This workshops will explore the structure of and key skills necessary to develop a successful campaign. Participants will learn how to research a university's investment portfolio and associated policies, how to tailor their campaign to the specific context of their campus, how to gain broader support, how and when to engage the administration, and other vital skills. In addition to divestment, campaigns focused on related goals, such as establishing ethical investment committees and reforming purchasing policies will also be explored.

This workshop presents an overview of key low and no-cost technologies that can dramatically increase the efficiency and effectiveness of any Palestine solidarity organization. Content will be tailored to the specific interests of the participants. Topics covered can include internal and external communications, audiovisual equipment, smartphones and handhelds, desktop publishing, encryption and data security, web development, databases, collaboration tools, and project management. The workshop is suitable for participants of all technical experience levels.

This workshop provides a highly informative survey of opposition organizations and entities commonly encountered in the course of Palestine solidarity activism, including typical methods of operation and strategies for dealing with them. Organizations discussed include those active at the national and international level, as well as networks and coalitions of local and campus-based groups. Relationships among the organizations and with the government of the State of Israel will be considered. Participants will learn how to factor opposition groups into contingency planning, how and when to engage them, and how to limit their impact on solidarity activism campaigns.