18th Annual Northwest Justice Forum REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Forum Dates:May 21-23, 2024 Chinook Winds Conference Center Lincoln City, OR Proposal Due Date: 5:00 PM, February 12th, 2024
NOTE: When you click the "Submit Proposal" button above, a 20-minute countdown timer will begin. Don't worry! When the timer runs out you can request more time and your progress will not be affected. It may help to have your session description ready in a separate Word document so you can copy/paste into the submission form.
Introduction The NW Justice Forum fosters the gathering of individuals committed to, or interested in learning about, the principles and values of Restorative Justice. We gather to increase understanding, share practical application, ensure cultural inclusion, and explore theoretical implications of living and working restoratively in the Northwest.
The Northwest Justice Forum is seeking workshop proposals for its 18th Annual Forum in May 2024. This year, the Forum is highlighting healing justice methods and their connection with overall wellness: social wellness, relational wellness, and individual wellness. Imaginative, interactive workshops are highly encouraged! Please see below for more information about the Forum’s theme.
Theme: Restorative Justice for Community Wellness
Three key areas of focus for the conference are:
Wellness for the practitioner: What practices and perspectives allow RJ practitioners to persist in the work? Think self-care, sustainability, mutual support, etc.
Wellness for the community: What is RJ offering that helps our communities be places of healing and thriving? Think success stories, innovations, community partnerships, practices that serve the direct participants of RJ processes, etc.
Wellness for the world: What does an RJ approach offer in terms of larger or longer-term gifts? Think visions for a just and peaceful future, addressing historical harms, building a culture of healing justice, etc.
While presentations and workshops with a primary focus on "Restorative Justice for Community Wellness" are particularly sought, any presentation/workshop that furthers the understanding and/or implementation of restorative justice will be considered. Applicants are invited to consider and highlight those aspects of their proposal that align with the three foci of the Forum’s theme (bulleted above). Presentations about work that aligns with restorative justice but is not called “restorative justice” will also be considered.
Audience The conference is designed for restorative justice practitioners, justice and court system personnel, victim services/advocacy staff, people with lived experience of the court system/formerly incarcerated individuals, school personnel, students, community members, non-profit service providers, and law enforcement personnel (and anyone else whose enthusiasm is sparked by our topics!).
Session Format We encourage proposals that emphasize active learning, skill-building, case studies, creative approaches, and time for group discussion. Workshops should elicit active participation by attendees – not be predominantly in lecture format. We appreciate a balance of practical application and big picture visioning. Session participation often ranges from 12 to 40 participants.
Session Length Sessions are usually 90 minutes in length. Please contact us directly if you are interested in a longer session (if we can accommodate this, it will be as two consecutive 90 minute times, with a break in the middle). If you believe the optimal time for your session would be 60 minutes, please let us know that as well. We appreciate your flexibility as we assign time slots. Occasionally we offer the same session more than once. Please indicate whether you would be willing to repeat your session.
Session Coordinator All sessions involving more than one presenter need a designated contact person who will serve as the primary liaison to NWJF in terms of conference planning and communication. Coordinators are responsible for organizing, introducing and facilitating their sessions as well as providing NWJF with all necessary information and materials prior to the conference.
Audio-Visual Equipment It is important that you indicate any and all audio-visual needs that you have for your presentation. We will provide more information about what is available once those details are confirmed. If you have additional equipment needs, you will need to specify this in the proposal submission form.
Presenter Discount Presenters may attend the day of their presentation for free, up to a maximum of two free admissions per presentation. If presenters wish to attend additional days, they will pay the normal rate for those additional days. Please contact the co-chairs if you have questions about this.
Presenter Registration If you wish to attend sessions on the day of your presentation, we ask that you register for the workshop sessions you would like to attend (even though there is no cost). If you attend additional days, please register for those as well. Registration forms will be available in March 2024 and will be here on the NW Justice Forum website.
Submission Process and Deadline Proposals are due February 12th, 2024. Proposals will be selected on the basis of relevance to the conference theme, and to create a diverse program. To submit a proposal please complete the electronic application by clicking the "Submit Proposal" button at the top of this page.
Your proposal must include all of the following information.
Presenter Information
Session Coordinator: If there is more than one presenter for your workshop, designate who will serve as the Session Coordinator.
Give the full name, official title, address, email, and telephone numbers for each presenter.
Submit a short bio for each presenter.
Session Length
Specify your preference for the length of your session.
Specify whether you are willing to offer your presentation more than once during the conference.
Descriptive Title, Short Session Description, and Learning Objectives
Provide your recommended workshop title and a description of your session (no more than 100 words). If accepted, your title and description will be used in conference materials. We may edit either the title or the description, but will discuss any changes with you before publication.
First Time Presenters
If you are a first time NWJF presenter, please list one reference (name, title and contact information) who knows your presentation style/skills, and/or point us to a recording of a previous session.
Session Scheduling
We will schedule your workshop to ensure that we have workshops available for all audiences in each session.
Proposal Selection Proposals will be reviewed by the NWJF Steering Committee. Proposals that align most closely with the conference theme will receive highest priority.
Notification You will be notified via e-mail of your proposal’s acceptance by March 1, 2024. In the meantime, please pencil in the forum dates on your calendar to ensure your availability upon notification of acceptance. If accepted you will be required to electronically submit your slides and handouts to be used in your presentation by May 7, 2024. Slides and handouts will be made available to conference participants via electronic files after the conference. If accepted, you will also need to bring the handouts and materials for those that attend your session (you will be notified of the number of participants registered for your session)
For questions or assistance, contact conference co-chairs at [email protected].
Thank You! On behalf of NWJF, thank you very much for your time and energy in preparing and submitting your proposal by 5:00 PM PST, February 12th, 2024.
We look forward to seeing you at the 18th Annual NWJF