This year’s conference will be held 100% online using state of the art virtual conferencing software to bring you the best possible experience from the safety of your homes. 

#PuzzlesNC2020

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Schedule at a Glance

Concurrent Breakout Sessions include pre-recorded sessions with live Q&A with presenters and fully live sessions. Live sessions will be recorded so that all attendees can access every workshop and keynote on their own time for up to 1 year after the conference. 

All times are Eastern Standard Time

Friday December 11, 2020
11:00am – 11:15am Welcome & Opening Activity
11:15am – 12:30pm Concurrent Breakout Session 4
12:30pm – 1:00pm BREAK
1:00pm – 2:00pm My Body. My Right. An Embodied Journey through Conscious Movement and Applied Theatre as a Framework for Self-Care and Healing
2:00pm – 2:15pm BREAK*
2:15pm – 3:30pm Concurrent Breakout Session 5
3:30pm – 4:00pm Presenter Q&A, Poster Sessions, Live Exhibitors
4:00pm – 5:00pm Closing with Dasan Ahanu

*Live Exhibitor Sessions will also take place during these breaks.

Discussion boards & Exhibitor booths available all day, each day. 

Workshops and Poster Sessions

The workshop and poster proposal period is now closed.

Sponsorship Application

This conference is made possible by generous sponsors who support this work!

2020 Keynote Speakers

Dasan Ahanu is an artist, educator, scholar and community organizer born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition to performing across the country, Dasan has hosted or coordinated many Poetry, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Cultural Arts events. Working as an organizer around such issues as literacy, social injustice, workers’ rights, domestic violence and sexual assault, he has assisted institutions and organizations in coordinating programming, trainings, and art based projects intended to engage the community. He also was a writing fellow with the Center for Community Change in Washington, DC writing about the economic struggles for families, students, and artists. His work has been featured on National Public Radio (NPR) where he is noted for his appearances on “News and Notes with Ed Gordon” and “State of Things with Frank Stasio.” His writing is featured online and in print publications. He has been showcased on NBC 17, featured on the third season of Lexus Verses and Flow aired on TV One, and in a documentary entitled, “Poet Son” that aired on WUNC-TV as a part of the North Carolina Visions film series. He has released numerous spoken word recordings and published three books of poetry. Dasan is a resident artist with the St, Joseph’s Historic Foundation/Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, NC where he has developed poetry and spoken word programming for youth and adults. He is co-founder and managing director of Black Poetry Theatre, a Durham based theatre company that creates and produces original poetry and spoken word based productions.

Dasan is also an alumni Nasir Jones Fellowship with the Hip Hop Archive at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African & African American Research. He is a scholar whose academic work is focused on critical writing, creative writing, Hip Hop and popular culture. Currently, Dasan is a visiting professor at UNC-Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC where he teaches courses on Hip Hop and Black culture. He is also the Rothwell Mellon Program Director for Creative Futures with Carolina Performing Arts.

PRESENTATION | An Abstract Strategy: The power of imagination

How we see and think is key in broadening the possibilities for the work we do for and with survivors. From what we coordinate and curate to how we build capacity, our options are enhanced by our mindset and thought process. We will discuss what it means to push the limits of our creativity. What kinds of things can we manifest through our imagination in our on campus communities? What kind of space can we carve out for ourselves and survivors? How do we develop the tools needed to craft a way on our terms? This will be an exploration in practice and verse, a conversation interwoven with creative expression.

Rae Chaloult uses she/her pronouns and identifies as a survivor, a queer Asian American woman, and an advocate and educator. As a transracial Korean adoptee, she has always been deeply interested in race consciousness theory and identity development.

Working in sexual violence prevention, Rae is committed to centering community accountability and anti-racist education in her work and the field. She firmly believes in centering the labor and survivorship of queer and trans BIPoC.

Rae focuses on the intersections of sexual and racial violence. She echos the calls of Black feminists who have always named the need to abolish prisons and policing- in all its forms. Rae is currently an Associate Director of Sexual Violence Prevention and Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

PRESENTATION | We Can’t Wait: Imagining a World with Racial Justice and Survivor Healing

The time to review our personal commitments to creating a world without violence is always, and many in the field of sexual violence are considering that now more than ever. The field of sexual violence prevention, response, and education must work to imagine new systems of accountability that nourish healing and care for ourselves and our communities. In this workshop, participants will gather to discuss how sexual violence and racial violence are inherently connected and how both harm us all. We will focus on the calls BIPOC and abolitionist leaders have been emphasizing, namely that we are building a movement to create a more just world. The workshop will aim to contextualize sexual violence and prevention within current conversations of racism and White supremacy. This is an opportunity for participants to sharpen skills on anti-racism education, develop race-consciousness practices, and begin to answer the questions: what does justice look for those who have been harmed? And, what do we owe each other?

2020 Title IX Panel

Alternative Resolutions and Restorative Justice: Options and Benefits
A variety of factors, including the narrowing of Title IX purview, the formalization of hearing procedures, barriers to reporting and engagement, unequal procedural impact, and calls for alternatives to traditional punitive methods make it critically important for schools to fully and carefully explore alternative resolution and restorative justice. Panelists will consider these options from multiple perspectives and will examine related legal risks, emerging best practices, and social issues.

Kristin Couch (she/her/hers) is the Assistant Director of Prevention and Response in the Title IX & Compliance Office at Spelman College. Her primary duties include supporting students by initiating and directing advocacy and case management services following a report or incident of sexual and/or gender-based discrimination. Additionally, she is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing educational outreach on topics for students, staff, faculty, and other groups.

Kristin also serves as Co-Chair for the Fatality Review Subcommittee for the Fulton County Family Violence Task Force in Atlanta, Georgia. Kristin graduated from Agnes Scott College with Bachelor’s in Psychology and would later obtain her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Georgia.

Candice Epps Jackson is the Director of Behavioral and Counseling Services & Title IX Coordinator at Davidson County Community College. She is a wife, mother, and woman who adores her family and friends. She is also a professional counselor, consultant, speaker, and higher education administrator. Currently, she oversees a collegiate counseling, health, and behavioral services unit, spearheading initiatives to foster wellness, increase sexual assault awareness and prevention, and create equitable cultures of compassion and care. Outside of her office, she serves on several boards and advisory committees in the local community and across the state to promote wellness, civility, the healthy and holistic development of children, multicultural sensitivities, anti-racism behaviors and mindsets, and race and gender equity.

Bindu Jayne received a B.A. in government from Cornell University, magna cum laude, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She currently serves as the Title IX Coordinator at Swarthmore College, where she is charged with coordinating the College’s centralized review, investigation, and resolution of reports of sexual assault and harassment and gender-based inequity. For over a decade, Ms. Jayne has worked in the equity and diversity space in higher education at such institutions as the University of Delaware, Appalachian State University, and Rowan University. In those positions, she oversaw offices responsible for responding to allegations of harassment and discrimination, providing educational opportunities about a variety of social justice initiatives, and creating inclusive campuses for students, faculty, and staff. Prior to her work in higher education, Ms. Jayne began her legal career as an associate in the Philadelphia office of Morgan Lewis.

Josh Whitlock focuses his practice on meeting the legal needs of higher education institutions as a Partner at Jackson Lewis. He has extensive experience defending colleges and universities in a broad range of litigation and investigations, as well as counseling them on a variety of issues, including campus sexual misconduct, disability accommodation, faculty tenure, and student discipline, safety, and privacy. 

Josh frequently interacts with the U.S. Department of Education, having successfully represented schools in dozens of federal investigations and participated in multiple, invitation-only, small group listening sessions with Education Department leadership on topics such as Title IX regulatory reform and the rights of transgender students. He is a national thought leader on Title IX- and disability-related claims and compliance and frequently speaks and publishes on those matters. He also is the former chair of the North Carolina Bar Association Education Law Section and an active member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. 

Josh served on the board of directors for Girls on the Run International and is a member of the Mindfulness in Law Society, which coordinates and promotes activities in the legal profession relating to mindfulness, meditation, and other contemplative practices.

2020 Self-care Sessions

Managing Self-care with Mindfulness and Mandala Making

An experiential workshop where you will learn simple mindfulness exercises you can practice at home. The workshop will include mandala making and other mindfulness strategies to help prevent vicarious trauma and burn-out.   

Recommended Supplies:  Pen or pencil, paper, an old cd (or something to trace a circle). Optional: Colored pencils or colored pens

Presenter: Mary How, MA, ATR-BC is an artist, art therapist, and life coach with over twenty years of experience working with survivors of trauma, mental illness and behavioral disorders. Her unique style of coaching combines creative art expression with practical skills training (emotional intelligence, mindfulness, relational health…) to help clients create the life of their dreams. She offers online courses through Cusp Culture, a community that supports the transition of individuals from one awareness point to the next. Learn more at maryhow.com and follow her on Instagram @maryhow.

My Body. My Right. An Embodied Journey through Conscious Movement and Applied Theatre as a Framework for Self-Care and Healing: 

Join us for an embodied workshop using the conscious movement-inspired practice of Qoya and the theatrical process of Applied Theatre to awaken an experienced relationship with re-imagining healing, wholeness, and sexual wellness through play and exploration. Qoya is movement as medicine, honoring teachings that inspire western cultures to reconnect with their bodies and nature. It is based on this simple idea: through movement, we remember. Applied Theatre provides an aesthetic means to analyze systems of oppression and to subsequently work towards their liberation. In this workshop, we combine these two practices to introduce how embodied learning can contribute to collective healing and radical prevention. This workshop is open to all gender identities.

Recommended Supplies:  Yoga mat, journal, and pen and dress comfortably for movement and be barefoot if comfortable. In addition, participants are encouraged to create a sacred space, possibly by including a candle, object, or other artifact that enriches their environment and invites personal sacredness. 

Presenters: Amanda Masterpaul is an adjunct professor and applied theatre practitioner dedicated to weaving social justice, cultural competency, anti-racism, and critical consciousness into the everyday experience. Throughout her career, she has organized alongside various community-centered collectives and social justice efforts in areas such as houselessness, gender equity, sexual violence, and systemic racism. As a teacher, Amanda is committed to radical pedagogy, intersectional feminism, and civic artistry. As a Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner and scholar-artist-activist, Amanda believes in the power of multi-identifying people collaborating in partnership and shared purpose to co-create visions and co-solidify solutions for concrete, social change.

Jessica Durivage swims the depths as well as soars at 30,000 feet with her clients supporting their visions and building the necessary foundations and strategies to help them achieve their dreams. From small businesses to corporate spaces, she holds over 20 years of professional development and leadership as a consultant and entrepreneur. Her leadership style begins and ends with heart based practices, is guided conscious movement and deep rest, and is most passionate about awakening the “one who knows” in the people she meets and in the spaces she swims. She is a Qoya Teacher, Radiant Rest Practitioner, Yoga Teacher, Embodiment Facilitator and Ritual Maker.

Make your own Puzzles-themed cocktail class (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options): 

Join award-winning bartender, Joseph Stinchcomb in this engaging class as we wind down after day 1 of the conference. His drink menus often reference black history or pop culture, and he likes to engage guests in conversations about black bartending history.  

Recommended Supplies:

If you will be adding alcohol, any are fine! I will be using Tangueray Gin, Four Roses Bourbon, and Espolon Reposado Tequila

Cocktail #1
Gin
Mint-honey syrup
Lime juice

Cocktail #2
Bourbon
Honey crisp apples
Basil
Apple cider

Cocktail #3
Reposado or anjeo tequila
Charred or grilled grapefruit juice
Cardamom syrup
Lime

OVW Grantees and Continuing Education Credits

Scholarship Opportunities

Jackson Lewis
Thanks to the generous sponsorship from Jackson Lewis, we are able to offer 5 conference registration scholarships (up to a $200 value)! Applications are due by Monday November 9th, with notifications made by November 13. Please note, if you apply and do not receive the scholarship, we will offer you the early registration rate.

Whole Circle
The Chrysalis Network Whole Circle Scholarship: A registration scholarship designed to support students, advocates, and prevention professionals who self-identify as belonging to neurodiverse or disability communities. In the spirit of “Nothing about us without us,” this scholarship was initiated by an Autistic advocate and survivor, and seeks to increase visibility and support for individuals from these marginalized communities who work to end violence in all of its forms. Applications are due by November 20th.

*Current funding provides for 1 scholarship. If you would like to donate to provide additional registration opportunities for this scholarship, you can do so via Eventbrite as a ticket or add-on, entitled “Scholarship Donation.”