2024 WWFOR Fall Conference
Maintaining Hope in the Face of Trauma
Saturday November 23
8:45 am- 12:45 pm Pacific time, via Zoom
We were pleased at a good turnout for our annual Fall Conference, formerly called Fall Retreat. As always this was an informative and meaningful event, with attendee participation and music. The keynote talks couldn’t have been more timely, and they were informative and inspiring.
Most of the conference was recorded and can now be viewed at
- Recording starts with Keynote talks by Cindy and Craig Corrie
- After a brief transition, the Q&A session starts around minute 49
- Small group discussions are not part of the recording
- Mike Yarrow Peace Fellow presentations start around 1:19
- Q&A with the MYPFs around 2:00
- After a brief interlude with music and poetry, informal discussion start around 2:19
Click for Conference Schedule | Registration information | Presenter Information | Flyers |
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION:
Working for Justice, Searching for Peace:
Israeli and Palestinian Peacemakers
We are delighted that Cindy and Craig Corrie were our keynote presenters! The Corries are volunteers for the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice based in Olympia, WA. Their daughter Rachel was killed in Gaza by the Israeli military in 2003 as she stood to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home.
The Corries have made numerous trips to Palestine and Israel. They shared their experiences with Israeli and Palestinian organizations, individual Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel, and Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza – those who have worked independently and collaboratively for Palestinian rights and for a just peace for all in the region. The Corries shared their impressions of these efforts, what they have learned about the possibilities for peace in the Middle East and, after the devastating events of this past year and prior, the obstacles. The discussion included what we can each do to support and amplify those who are legitimately acting for peace.
The keynote presentations were followed by a full group Q&A session, followed by smaller discussion groups offering opportunities for participants to share responses they had to the Corries’ presentation..
We also had Youth Activist presentations by 7 members of WWFOR’s Mike Yarrow Peace Fellowship program (see presenter info below), and several musical interludes.
Click for Conference Schedule | Registration information | Presenter Information | Flyers |
Conference Schedule (Pacific time)
(subject to change)
- 8:45 Participants enter Zoom space, Music
- 9:00 Welcome, Land Acknowledgement, Introduction of Speakers.
- 9:15 Keynote Speakers: Cindy and Craig Corrie
- 9:45 Q & A
- 10:20 Discussion Groups
- 10:55 Break
- 11:00 Youth Activists from Mike Yarrow Peace Fellowship program + Q & A
- 11:45 Music/Poetry
- 12:00 Conference Program ends and Informal Sharing begins
- 12:45 Informal Sharing ends.
Presenter Information
Keynote Speakers: Craig and Cindy Corrie are the parents of human rights activist and observer Rachel Corrie who in 2003 was killed by the Israeli military in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, as she tried to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home. Since Rachel’s killing, her family has strived to continue the commitment to Palestine that she intended. For over a decade, they pursued accountabiity in Rachel’s case through efforts in the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Departments of State and Justice, and in U.S. and Israeli courts. From 2003 through 2016, the Corries traveled often to the Middle East, supporting multiple delegations to the region, and making five trips to Gaza. During the past twenty years they have spoken broadly throughout the U.S. and world sharing their daughter’s story, educating and advocating for Palestine and for universal human rights, and standing with Palestinians in their quest for freedom, equality, and peace with justice.
The Corries are volunteers for the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, the nonprofit they cofounded nearly twenty-one years ago in Olympia. The foundation was recently selected and honored by the YWCA-Olympia as their 2024 Organization of Achievement, and was previously recognized for “outstanding service for Human Rights” by the Thurston County Diversity Council. Cindy and Craig Corrie have received a Human Rights Advocates of the Year Award from Seattle University’s Human Rights Network and a Pillar of Peace Award from the Pacific Northwest Region of the American Friends Service Committee. In October 2012, the Corries traveled to Reykjavik, Iceland, to accept the LennonOno Grant for Peace on behalf of their daughter Rachel.
Youth Activists. For general information about the Mike Yarrow Peace Fellowship program for youth activists see https://wwfor.org/mike-yarrow-peace-fellowship-4/, and for an introduction to this year’s fellows, see https://wwfor.org/2024-Mike-Yarrow-Peace-Fellows/.
We were privileged to have presentations from several of the current peace fellows and assistance from “graduates” of the program.
Abigail Asare, former MYPF and now Co-coordinator of the program served as MC. Vindhya Adamala, another former MYPF served as this conference main technical worker. Current MYPFs gave brief presentations :
- Kayla Wijesekera – promoting neurodiversity inclusion
- Oonaugh Foster-Bill – song circle for fellowship and activism
- Rowan Santos – activism through the arts
- Naman Mutalik Desai – soil analysis for best agriculture
- Sai Moukthika Ganumpally – teaching critical thinking
- Zachary Song, promoting diversity in small businesses
- Vy Phuong Le – system streamlining clothing donation to shelters
Photos: top row L to R, MYPF presenters Kayla, Oonaugh, Rowan, Naman; middle Sai, Zachary, Vy. Bottom row previous MYPFs and current Co-coordinators, Abigail Asare, the MYPF segment moderator, and Dwija Adamala, the Conference Zoom tech coordinator.
Click for Conference Schedule | Registration information | Presenter Information | Flyers |
Flyers
Click on either flyer to open a pdf version in a new browser tab to view or download,
or
you can copy or save these jpg versions of the flyers (right click for menu on a PC).
REGISTRATION is easy! Choose any of these methods
- ONLINE: Go to https://wwfor2024fr.brownpapertickets.com/ and select the level you want to pay, $0, $5, $10, $20 and enter the number of people in the box. You can make an additional donation $0-50 if you like. No payment is required, but if you can afford to pay it will help cover our costs. When you have made your selections, click Add to Cart, and in a few more easy steps you will be done. If you are making an extra donation, the payment has to go through PayPal, but you don’t need a PayPal account, you can use a credit card.
- POSTAL MAIL: Our address is WWFOR, 225 N 70th Street, Seattle WA 98103. Send us your name, email address if available, phone number. If you are able to make a donation, checks to WWFOR, memo Fall Conference.
- EMAIL: Send us your name, email address, phone number to wwfor@wwfor.org. If you are able to make a donation, please send a check to the address above
- PHONE: Leave us your name, email address if available, and phone number at 206-789-5565. If you are able to make a donation, please send a check to the address above
We will get the Zoom connection info to you, however you register!
Click for Conference Schedule | Registration information | Presenter Information | Flyers |
To see information about previous Fall Retreats, with select recordings, see
2023 Fall Retreat, 2022 Fall Retreat, 2021 Fall Retreat, or 2020 Fall Retreat
