COMMUNITY ROOM
Excited about
RebLaw, but feel like something is missing?
Have an idea about a perfect addition to the
schedule? The COMMUNITY ROOM is
the place for you.
1.
What
is the community room?
If you’ve
ever been to an “unconference,” this will look somewhat
familiar to you (but if you haven’t, don’t worry, we’ll
explain it!). This year, RebLaw
will experiment with a new way of creating content by
reserving one room for which we won’t plan any programming.
The room will be set aside so that you, the conference
participants, can create your own sessions either by signing
up to create one ahead of time or deciding to do so at the
conference. The room holds up to
32 people in round-table style, and participants are invited
to “sign out” the room for 45 minute blocks to create sessions
on topics of your choosing. Programming
planned for the community room will be advertised on this
website on the
google calendar ahead of time and on signs in the
registration room, hallway, and door to the community room
throughout the conference.
2.
Why
is RebLaw doing this?
We truly
believe that we all have expertise to bring to the table.
We know that our planned programming can’t possibly
cover every topic of interest to conference participants, nor
can it provide space for all of us to share our knowledge and
experience with others. We hope
the community room will provide extra space for you to build
community, share your experiences, and make Reblaw the
conference you want it to be.
3.
What
can I do in the community room?
Anything that
you’re interested in and that you think other participants
might be interested in too! Really,
there are no requirements other than that you adhere to the
basic principles of respect, inclusiveness and challenging
ourselves that undergird the whole conference (check out our
full mission statement here)
and that you make a good faith effort to make your session
productive. Sessions can range
from formal, planned affairs in traditional panel or lecture
style to completely informal discussions on a particular
topic. Here are some ideas to get
your juices flowing, but please don’t feel limited!
Coming
up with a topic.
Think about some of the issues you’re interested in,
whether you’ve encountered successful strategies in that arena
or whether you’re looking for new ones. Try
asking yourself some of these questions and see what you come
up with:
▪
I would
really like to know…
▪
I’m really
worried about this problem…
▪
How did
that campaign, litigation strategy or project work? How do we
repeat the successful parts? How do we avoid making those
mistakes again?
▪
I have an
idea about a litigation strategy or campaign on…
Deciding
on a format.
Here are some ideas about how to structure your 45
minutes. It’s by no means
exhaustive – feel free to be creative!
▪
A formal
presentation: It can be difficult to
make a formal presentation interactive. But if you have a
well-developed idea and a plan to invite participation you can
pull it off.
▪
A short
presentation to get things started:
5-15
minutes of prepared material/comments by the session leader
followed by an interactive discussion.
▪
Group
discussion:
Someone identifies a topic
they are interested in, others come to join the conversation
and an interesting discussion happens.
▪
My Big (or
Little) Question:
You have a question
you want to know the answer to, and you think others in the
group could help you answer it. This format could also just be
the seed of a conversation.
▪
Learn how
to do X:
Have a plan to teach a small
group a particular skill, technique or strategy.
4.
How
do I sign up to use the community room?
Easy.
Check out this
google calendar and sign up for a 45 minute slot.
Include your name, email, school or organizational
affiliation, a title for your session and a brief (no more
than 100 words) description. If
you’re really excited about planning a session but all the
slots are full don’t worry – we’re also going to reserve some
slots so that folks with late blooming ideas have a chance to
add them to the schedule at the conference.
And in the spirit of respect, please don’t change
anyone else’s entry or write over the reserved spots.
We’re really excited to see
everyone’s ideas and how these sessions work out.
And for everyone who isn’t planning to create a
session, don’t forget to check out the calendar ahead of time
and the schedule we’ll provide during the conference to see
what’s going on in the community room and support your fellow
rebels!