NCADP 2009 Annual Conference: Training for the Long Run

Holiday Inn Harrisburg East

January 22 - 25, 2009

Workshop Sessions of Interest to Death Row Family Members

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 in the Caribbean: Almost 70% of the reported foreign nationals on death row in the U. S. are from Caribbean nations.  One of every four countries that voted last year against the United Nations resolution to establish a moratorium was from this region.  Learn the facts about capital punishment in the Caribbean and the steps developed by the Puerto Rican Coalition Against the Death Penalty to increase activism in these countries and what you can do to help.  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.

Racism and the Death Penalty in Pennsylvania: Racial disparities in the application of the death penalty are more blatant in Pennsylvania than in most other states.  Learn how racial bias plays out in Pennsylvania and what PADP and others are doing about it.  This session includes recent academic research and an update on the case of Mumia Abu Jamal.  This session will be presented on Friday, January 23, 2009.

Working with Death Row Family Members: Many death row family members actively support their loved ones on death row, but some want to do more.  Workshop attendees will learn strategies for involving and utilizing death row family members in our broader campaign work (beyond their individual cases).  Ohio and Pennsylvania death row family groups will share their group models and experiences.  This session will be presented on Friday, January 23, 2009.