Connect Communicate Collaborate

If you belief that technology is an important tool the affect change, then the annual Grassroots Use of Technology Conference is the place for you. Join other like-minded folks on Saturday, June 28th (all day) in Lowell, MA to share ideas about how to more effectively use technology in your day-to-day fight for justice.

This year's theme is "Connect, Communicate, and Collaborate"; it focuses on the new technologies and organizing tools available for connecting organizers and their communities.

Nick Jehlen will be joining us this year with a keynote address speaking to his work on Iraq Veterans Against the War's Winter Soldier campaign. At a time when the nation wrestles with questions about the war and while grassroots activists and advocates experiment with ways to influence the big ticket issues of the day, IVAW, with Nick's help, boldly stepped out off the beaten path to bring together hundreds of veterans to address the occupations abroad and the neglect at home. Nick's talk will show how they made careful and appropriate use of a wide range of communications technologies and tools.

There will be three workshop sessions, and each session will have 5 or 6 concurrent presentations. Workshops will be identified by technical level; the program is designed to be accessible to beginners while offering options for tech experts.

We are still working on the final schedule, but here are just a few of the workshops you can expect to see this year:

• On-Line Polls and e-Campaigning in Resource-Poor Communities
• Keeping it Simple: technology tools that won't make you want to rip your hair out
• Taking your website to the next level with free online tools
• Strategies for shaping the media/tech future
• Building a News Portal with Drupal
• The Untapped Power of Social Networks for Grassroots Action
• Facebook to Phone Trees: Multi-Generational Outreach Strategies
• Managing & Recruiting Tech volunteers
• Helping Your Computer System Grow Up
• Voter Databases

.....And More!

The conference registration fee is $75 (including breakfast and lunch). If you need overnight accommodations, UMASS Lowell has dorms available at reasonable rates; $50 per person for a single room and $34 per person for a shared room. Rooms can be reserved when you register for the conference.

As always, the Grassroots Use of Technology conference is one of the only events that brings technology and endusers together, allowing us to learn from each other. Don't wait, register today.