Call for Workshop Proposals

Traditionally programming at Gaia Gathering has been discussion-based panels and roundtables, however in the last couple of years people have been asking for workshops to be included in the programme as well. So this year, we're happy to announce that we’ll be offering some!

If you’re interested in offering a workshop, let us know!

Workshop topics should pertain to Paganism. The topic can be theoretical, practical, or a combination of both. We especially welcome topics pertaining to specialised knowledge or skills that may not be widely available in various Canadian Pagan communities. Gaia Gathering offers a unique opportunity for people to hold these skills and knowledge to share them with peers from across the country, who can then bring them home to their communities.

Workshops proposals must be submitted by March 20th, 2011 to programming@gaiagathering.ca and should include the following information:

• Name of presenter(s)
• Geographic location of presenter(s)
• Contact information
• Title of presentation
• A 75-150 word summary of the workshop
• Bios for the presenter(s)
• Details of your experience presenting this workshop in the past and/or specifics about what makes you qualified to present the workshop.
• A brief explanation of why you want to present the workshop and who you expect to benefit from it.
• Any scheduling restrictions (ie, if you’re only arriving Saturday morning)

Please note that we have limited programming slots available for workshop. Workshops will be selected by a committee based on the uniqueness of the presentation and the broadness of its appeal.

Workshop proposals should be submitted by e-mail to programming@gaiagathering.ca.

Please feel free to post questions, or requestsm in the comments. You can also direct them to programming@gaiagathering.ca.

Montreal Programming: What Do You Want to See?

We're starting to have some discussion on our yahoogroups list and in our communities about what should be on our 2011 Gaia Gathering programme.

Traditionally, the panels and discussions at Gaia Gathering have focussed on the issues we experience as Canadian Pagans living in the 21st century, with special emphasis on the experience of being Pagan in the host city. While some of the slots in the programme are filled by the local host city, the vast majority of the conference programme has historically been developed collaboratively by Pagans from across the country using the Gaia Gathering YahooGroup. We hope this year, that discussions will also take place on the blog and on our Facebook page.

To give you an idea of what we’ve done in previous conferences, some examples of past discussions can be found here, here and here. Our final Vancouver 2009 programme is also available here.

Some of the ideas that have already come up this year are:

1. Edges of Pagan identity - divorcing from “paganism”
2. Pagan forms of activism
3. Language and history
4. Mental health
5. Gender and sexuality
6. The quiet revolution
7. Music stream
8. Breakfast discussion on traditions
9. Media
10. Chaplaincy
11. Power of words
12. Discrimination and legal rights
13. Rites, rights and laws
14. Pagan parenting
15. Event organizing
16. Environmental ethic
17. Pagan mediation
18. Leadership.
19. Ancestors
20. Aging, hospice and death
21. Men’s spirituality and male menopause.
22. Clergy burn-out
23. Pagan documentation
24. Archiving our legacy of elders
25. Sacred texts - pagan canon
26. Storytelling as a guide
27. Sexual abuse
28. Fundraising techniques
29. Managing volunteers
30. Impact of secularism
31. Sacred space and sacred places
32. Technology and paganism
33. Pagan community etiquette
34. Pagan taboos
35. Pagans, conflict, and the warrior path

So, do any of these topics interest you? Are there topic that you’d like to see but aren’t on this list? What discussions would you like to see at the Montreal conference? Share your thoughts and ideas. This is your conference. Tell us what you want!

ps. This year, in addition to a full line-up of panels and roundtables, we will also be adding a handful of workshops into the programme. An official call for workshop proposals will go out shortly.