Saturday, April 14, 2012
11:00 AM to 12:15 PM

All workshops will take place in the Doubletree Hotel. Room Numbers are below. Location of each workshop also will be provided in the registration packet.

Since there are four workshop sessions this year,  remember participants are always free to skip a workshop session and  use this time to look at the exhibits, network, relax, or explore.

A1: Songwriting: Building Community, Healing the Spirit

Room: Atrium 3

Ann Reed — Singer/Songwriter

Ann will explore ways of expressing one's inner thoughts and feelings, building community and healing in both the writer and the listener through song writing and singing.

Appropriate for: Adults and high school students only

A2: Harry Potter and the War on Muggles; How JK Rowling Made Voldemort's War Similar to Hitler and WWII

Room: Atrium 1

Ella Holme (youth) — UU Fellowship of Ames, Iowa
Carolyn Myers — UU Fellowship of Ames, Iowa

Those who have read the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling may have noticed some of the similarities between the attempted racial cleansing of Adolf Hitler during WWII and the attempted cleansing of the non magical people led by the fictional Lord Voldemort.  The similarities between the two deadly leaders don't stop there.  Come and discuss some of the lessons we can take from the Harry Potter series, as well as connecting these lessons to the history of our world.

Appropriate for: All ages

A3: Welcoming Difference in Decision-Making:  Reframing Conflict

Room: Atrium 7

Rev. Thea Nietfeld — UU Fellowship, Salina, Kansas

Skillful, secure leaders welcome a little conflict:  this skill-building workshop shows leaders how to assess the kind of leadership that is needed, how to ask clarifying questions, and to plan a process to engage differences for discernment/ decision-making.

Further Converstions on Conflict with Thea will be offered in Session D4.

Appropriate for: Adults and high school students only

A4: PSD UUMA (UU Ministers Association) Business Meeting

Room: Vista 2207

Rev. Carol Hepokoski — First UU Church, Rochester, Minnesota

This is a chapter gathering and business meeting for ministers who are members of the UU Ministers Association.

Appropriate for: Members of the UUMA only

A5: Until There is No More War, But Peace

Room:  Vista 2204

Shawna Foster — student minister of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka, Kansas

What's it like to be a peace activist in the military? How does our UU  theology support peace activists, service members, deserters and their  families? Join Shawna Foster, a deserter from the Army National Guard  and now a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, for a deep  reflection on peace - in our churches, and in our world. Learn about  Operation Recovery, a campaign for soldier's rights: to heal from  trauma, to disobey unlawful orders, and avoid unnecessary  redeployments. Prepare to discover the many different sides of war and  the ways that Unitarian Universalism can uplift us all.

Appropriate for: Adults and high school students only

A6: No Justice, No Peace: Economic and Racial Equity Work in Minnesota

Room: Atrium 6

Ralph Wyman — First Universalist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and MUUSJA (MN UU Social Justice Alliance) Director
Mary DeYoung — Northwoods UU Fellowship, Brainerd, Minnesota

Violence and war are woven through the history of American race relations. Working for economic and racial justice leads to greater peace. MUUSJA partners with interracial coalition HIRE MN for employment equity, and Northern MN UUs have developed a Native American Resolution recognizing past injustice and proposing restitution and reparation.

Appropriate for: Adults and high school students only

A7: A Matter of Heart: What Would UU Do?

Room: Vista 2206

Alec Timmerman — White Bear UU Church, Mahtomedi, Minnesota
Maria Signorelli (youth) — White Bear UU Church, Mahtomedi, Minnesota

Hear from a UU Marine veteran and father of two on the complex ways families are impacted by deployment and decisions about service. Participants will be invited to prepare postcards expressing support for military service members and families and create a “WWUUD” key chain to take home.

Appropriate for: All ages

A8: The Future of Camp UniStar under Regionalization

Room: Vista 2205

Fred Hulting — UU Church of Minnetonka, Wayzata, Minnesota and Camp UniStar Enterprise Management Committee
Chris Bremer — First Universalist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Camp UniStar Management Committee

For 51 years, Camp UniStar has been a vital institution and asset for PSD.    What will be the effect of regionalization on the camp? Join in a discussion of the camp’s future, and hear about the PSD Board’s plans to ensure the continued long-term success of the camp.

Appropriate for: Adults and high school students only