DWN National Member Conference

Detention Watch Network Member Conference

September 24 - 26, 2009
Washington, DC

Detention Watch Network cordially invites all of its members to attend the 8th National DWN Conference. The 2009 DWN Conference is an opportunity for members to re-connect, re-energize and strengthen their collaboration. The need for community action, public education, coordinated advocacy and resource sharing has never been greater. We hope you will join us!

About the Conference
The conference will be held at the Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. September 24-26, 2009. The conference aims to engage new and current members in the key priorities of the network, share and enhance members’ expertise, cultivate member leadership, and enlist member commitment to move forward on achieving the goals of the network. Activities will be based on DWN’s campaign for No More Detention Beds, federal policy work on Comprehensive Immigration Reform and the network’s four key priorities: Standards, Alternatives, Mandatory Detention, Local Enforcement. At the conference, we will work together to bring the plight of those caught in the detention and deportation system to the forefront of the immigration debate and focus on action and advocacy for policy change.

The conference will provide participants the opportunity to:
•Participate in campaign and advocacy efforts to promote reform of the immigration detention and deportation system
•Attend substantive skills-building sessions to further achieve the network’s goals
•Build community involvement and activism around detention and deportation issues
•Explore new ways to work together to increase media coverage and community activism.

Conference Agenda

Conference Registration
Registration is available online via Regonline. The deadline for discounted Early Bird Registration is Friday, August 28, 2009. The deadline for Final Registration is Monday, September 9, 2009.

Please note that this conference is intended for current members of the Detention Watch Network. If you or your organization are not a member but are interested in joining DWN and attending the conference, please contact Silky Shah at sshah at detetentionwatchnetwork.org Membership applications must be received prior to the conference in order to attend.

Please plan to attend the entire conference and book your flights to allow sufficient time to be there for the start of the conference at 9:00 a.m. Thursday 09/24/09 and for the 2:00 p.m. finish time on Saturday 09/26/09. This is an invaluable opportunity for DWN members to finalize our activities for the upcoming year.

Registration fees
Early Bird (deadline 8/28/09):
Member………………………………………………………………………..$50

Final Registration (deadline 9/09/09):
Member………………………………………………………………………. $75

If you are unable to pay the registration fee for the conference, please contact Silky Shah at sshah at detetentionwatchnetwork.org or call 212-627-2227 x245.

Housing
Suggested Accommodations List

Scholarship
We have made every effort to significantly decrease this year’s conference fees in order to ensure that members can attend despite the financial crisis. We will be hosted at a local church in central DC and are working to identify solidarity and low-cost housing options. We will also be offering travel scholarships for those who need help getting to DC. For the scholarship application please download here.

For more information please contact Silky Shah at sshah at detentionwatchnetwork dot org or call 212-627-2227 x245