@RootsCampMA After Party - All Welcome! April 6, 2013

Are you planning to attend RootsCamp MA this weekend? Hope so! RootsCamp MA is a great way to meet like-minded progressives, share lessons learned and get connected to great social justice organizations in Boston. Just $10 or $20 for 2 days. Learn more at www.rootscampma.org.

Whether you attend RootsCamp MA or not, you are encouraged to join us for the After Party on Saturday night! 8:00pm until 10:00pm

Cost: $5-$20 collected at the door. No charge for RootsCamp MA attendees.

(every $10 includes raffle ticket to win a $25 Trader Joe's gift card)

Complimentary appetizers will be provided.

Networking made easy! We'll have name tags, plus "I'm Looking For" and "Ask Me About" tags. You're invited to cross-promote your events and campaigns. (Looking for work? There will be a Jobs Board at RootsCamp MA.)

ACCESSIBILITY: 21+ after 7PM. The venue is physically accessible - please note that the elevator is at the rear of the first floor and we've been told that bathrooms are big enough for manual, but not large motor-powered, wheelchairs.

Not sure if you should attend RootsCamp MA? This is not an exclusive space. If you think this MIGHT be for you - it is. Care about the world? Want to make it more just? Then you should definitely join us. Do we really mean you? Yes. We welcome all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, levels of activism, and professions - people born in Boston and those that just moved here. Register in advance so we can plan for amount of food.

Do your friends know about RootsCamp MA? Please share this press release with your network... thanks!

RootsCamp MA - For Organizers, By Organizers

Attendees Call the Shots at Progressive “Un-Conference”

Calling all progressive organizers! RootsCamp MA (April 6-7, 2013 at 1199 SEIU in Dorchester) shakes up the traditional conference model. No need to submit workshop proposals in advance. Instead attendees decide an agenda together each morning of the conference. This allows participants to have meaningful and in-the-moment conversations about their work.

This is progressive cross-issue movement building, where all attendees bring what they know and what they are curious about. They establish lasting new partnerships with other organizers from all over the state. This model builds on the success of 2012 RootsCamp National, 2010 RootsCamp MA and “unconferences” dating back to 2006.

“Unconferences take advantage of the fact that we all have ideas and talents to contribute, as well as things to learn,” said Jessica Critcher, co-organizer of Socializing for Justice, one of several lead sponsors of the conference.

A brief keynote by Gladys Vega, executive director of Chelsea Collaborative, will kick-off the event with an inspiring story about standing with allies. She returned a $40,000 grant from Catholic Campaign for Human Development out of concern that the money came with too many restrictions against working with the LGBT community. According to The Boston Globe, "Two weeks earlier, Vega had received an award from MassEquality, the gay rights organization, for speaking out on behalf of a transgender woman badly beaten outside a Chelsea bar. She feared that sort of advocacy could be considered unacceptable by the church." The grant represented 82% of the funding for their Chelsea Latino Immigrant Committee, which advocates for immigrant workers.

Organized in just a couple of months, this event has gained the support of many including Gold Sponsors: ACLU of Massachusetts, Socializing for Justice, Third Sector New England, Tufts Peace and Justice Studies; Silver Sponsors: Echo Ditto, Future Boston Alliance, MassVote; and Bronze Sponsors: Access Strategies Fund, Boston NAACP, Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee, National Network of Abortion Funds, New Leaders Council Boston Chapter, Political Research Associates, The Definition Of Nyce, and The Labor Guild. Partner organizations include: Common Cause Massachusetts, Drinking Liberally Boston Chapter, encuentro 5, Greater Boston Young Democrats, MIRA Coalition, New Organizing Institute, Open Media Boston, Our Bodies Ourselves, Progressive Massachusetts, and Roosevelt Pipeline.

With the help of these sponsors, RootsCamp organizers are committed to making this an accessible event for a diverse group of attendees. Tickets are priced on a sliding scale of $10-$20, which includes breakfast, lunch and snacks for two days. Children are welcome to attend. Bilingual presentations are encouraged. Transportation and housing assistance provided to attendees outside of metro Boston area.

More information about the event, as well as the most up to date list of sponsors and partner organizations, may be found at www.rootscampma.org. Tickets and sponsorships may be purchased at www.rootscampma13.eventbrite.com. After Party Saturday 8-10pm open to all.

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Official Website: http://www.rootscampma.org