New Orleans will host CJI’s first-ever All-Circle Political Education Conference in July 2022! This special, three-day convening presents the very first occasion for CJI Circle members, volunteers, donors, staff, activists, peers, and innovators across CJI’s robust professional network to develop a shared vision for the future of our movement.
Leveraging relationships with grantee partners and activists on our funding Circles, the convening will center the people and communities directly impacted by the criminal legal system. Engaging in dialogue around the urgent and pressing issues facing our communities, the convening will illuminate how those issues are being addressed at the grassroots level.
The All-Circle Political Education Conference will focus on achieving the following goals:
- Foster greater knowledge and awareness about CJI Circle focus areas
- Team building within and across CJI funding Circles
- Forge strong ties amongst Circle members and the larger CJI community
- Amplifying the voices of directly impacted leaders, activists, and grantees
- Identifying emergent needs of the movement and generating appropriate philanthropic and programmatic solutions
- Generate enthusiasm for any shared movement campaigns and wins
- Developing a movement response to the rise of white supremacy and organized hate groups that emphasizes community-building and productivity
- Developing a long-term strategy for democratizing and demystifying grantmaking through transparency and accessibility to achieve racial, gender, and social equity in philanthropy
- Fostering connections between underserved movement leaders and progressive funders
- Harnessing the wisdom of all generations across the movement to inform best practices moving forward
The conference will feature presentations by influential activists, Circle meetings to develop innovative funding priorities, workshops offering practical movement-based knowledge and skills, facilitated strategy sessions led by each funding Circle, and countless opportunities for attendees to build meaningful connections to seed the future of our movement for a more just and equitable world.
Stay tuned for an announcement on unique digital access to conference programming!