Calling All Presenters!

Advocates in Action is seeking workshop presentations for We Belong Here, RI's 2024 Statewide Self-Advocacy Conference.

Workshop Presentations will take place over Zoom on Thursday, May 9th. There are 2 break-out sessions during the day, with multiple workshops being presented during each of them.

The sessions are at at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. We ask presenters to plan for a 35 to 40 minute workshop, which will allow attendees time to enter your breakout room and get settled before you begin. This amount of time will also give you the opportunity to hear from your audience at the end.

If you prefer presenting at either of these times, you'll be able to let us know when you complete the Presentation Proposal Form.

The form also includes additional information for presenters. We recommend reviewing it carefully before submitting your proposal!

Some possible workshop topics for this year's conference:

Our Conference planning committee came up with the following workshop ideas people would like to learn about at We Belong Here.

This list isn't complete, but it's a great place to start. You're also welcome to submit a proposal about a different topic.

All the Cool Things You Can Do at Your Local Library

Art Therapy

Being Assertive and Standing Up for Yourself

Being the Boss: How to Find, Hire, and Supervise Support Staff

DD Services: What’s Available?

Different Ways to Get Around in the Community

Free Resources for Rhode Islanders

How To Budget Your Money

How To Recognize Scams and Avoid Them, I.e. Email Phishing Messages and Fake Phone Calls

Information About Individualized Service Plans

It’s OK To Change Your Mind

Living On Your Own

Mental Health Awareness and How to Deal with Stress

Pet Ownership

What To Do About Bullying

Here are Some Tips and Guidelines to for Preparing Your Presentation:

Tip Number 1: Nothing About Us Without Us.  Your Presentation Team should include at least one member who has a developmental disability and can talk about the topic you'll be covering from this perspective.
Having a Peer Presenter on your team who's able to share their experiences, mistakes, lessons learned, and stories of success is a powerful and effective way to connect with your audience and get your message across.

Tip Number 2: Keep it Simple. As you think about what to say during your session, remember that some of the people in your audience may not read, write, or be familiar with certain technical words, acronyms, or abbreviations, so it's important to make your presentation as user-friendly as possible. Some ways to do this include using a combination of pictures, video, music, games, skits, and simple language.

Tip Number 3: Timing is Everything. When planning your presentation, bear in mind that each breakout room will be open for one hour total, which includes time for attendees to enter the room and get settled. It should also include time at the end for questions and answers about your presentation.  Ideally, this means preparing a presentation that runs for approximately 35-40 minutes, which will allow people time to enter the room and give you the opportunity to hear from your audience at the end.

Tip Number 4: We Can Help. If you've never presented over Zoom, please don't let that stop you. Our conference planning team can meet with you and help you get started!
Team members are also available if you need help creating a PowerPoint show or other materials for your session.
In addition, we'll provide a Virtual Room Host in every breakout session. Your Room Host can help answer questions and troubleshoot if you run into any problems during your presentation.
Your session will be awesome, and we'll be here for you every step of the way!

Tip Number 5: Don't Miss the Deadline. Proposals are due by Friday, April 12th, 2024 . Please note that space is limited, so we may not be able to accept all of the presentations we receive. Our conference planning team will review the proposals and notify presenters either way by Friday, April 26th.

Submit your presentation proposal at: www.tinyurl.com/24Proposals

Proposals are due by Friday, April 12th.

Presenters will be notified by Friday, April 26th.

If your proposal is accepted, your Presentation Team will receive 2 FREE Tickets to the Dinner Dance on Friday, May 10th.

We'll send each presentation team a unique link so they can order their free tickets after the proposal notification date on April 26th..

Tickets are not exchangable and must be used by a member of your presentation team.

Ready to Send In Your Ideas?

Questions? We're Here to Help!

LEFT CLICK or TAP on this words to go the Advocates in Action Home Page at www.advocatesinaction.org

This Page was updated on:
March 1, 2024