Workshop Information
Attendees may choose from pre-conference institutes, learning intensives and
more than 60 conference workshops that offer substantive and relevant
information as well as opportunities to gain new skills. Four designated
workshop tracks—Fundraising; Public Policy; Volunteer Skills and Resources; and
Cultural Competency—help guide participants’ workshop selections.
Workshop Schedule
Participants may attend any of the workshops that are offered Sunday, June 8
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Tuesday, June 10. Pre-registration for these workshop sessions is not required; however,
individual sessions may have a limit on the number of attendees. Please note
that pre-registration is strongly encouraged for the pre-conference National
CASA Association Institutes that take place on Saturday, June 7.
New in 2008!
Workshops are organized into the following
tracks:
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Fundraising
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Public Policy
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Volunteer Skills and Resources
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Cultural Competency
Click
here
(1.3 MB PDF) to see current conference
program containing workshop descriptions.
Click here
(108 KB PDF) to see and print a conference worksheet that will help your make
the most of your time at the conference.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m. National CASA
Association Institutes
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged and attendance is limited!
6:00—7:30 p.m. Welcome Reception
Open to all conference attendees to kick-off the conference
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Sunday, June 8, 2008
8:00—10:30 a.m. Learning Intensives
Learning Intensives provide an in-depth exploration and skill-building
opportunity on unique topics. These sessions are open to all conference
participants; pre-registration is not required.
Trial by Fire! Enhancing Relationships with the Department of
Social Services
In this staged presentation, CASA volunteers (plaintiffs) and department of
social service staff (defendants) battle out issues only to be ordered into
mediation by a judge. By observing their conflict resolution techniques,
workshop participants develop skills to enhance relationships with their own
child welfare agencies.
James Washington,
Program Manager,
Richland County CASA
Thomas Clark, CASA Supervisor,
Richland County CASA
Case Studies: Working It Out Together
Case Studies is an engaging, hands-on training for volunteers and board
members who want exposure to frontline advocacy work. Participants process a
realistic GAL/CASA case in table groups, then combine groups for a facilitated
discussion. Case Studies is designed to maximize learning while
providing an interesting, lively challenge for participants.
Ruth Kravitz,
Training Administrator,
North Carolina Guardian ad Litem Program
Child Sexual Abuse: Dealing with the Traumatic Aftermath
This workshop helps participants understand 1) the role of guardians ad litem
and other victim advocates in relation to sexual abuse; 2) interventions that
aid victims in coping with trauma; and 3) the necessity of developing a
coordinated community response. It also provides information about practicing
techniques and accessing resources that support young victims as they navigate
the child welfare and criminal justice systems. The emphasis of the workshop is
on family dynamics, patterns of abusive behavior and the initial
intervention/response.
Wayne Deuhn,
Professor of Social Work,
University of Texas
COMET New Users Class
Information in this hands-on workshop is useful for new users of the CASA
Outcomes, Management & Evaluation Tool (COMET) system and to those who have
never used it. The session provides an overview of data input—including
entering volunteers, caseworkers, attorneys and judges—and instruction in
creating “groups” with children.
Brien Aguilar, COMET Tech Support and Training Manager,
National CASA Association
10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Networking and Exhibitor Break
Opportunity to network with other attendees and visit the exhibit hall
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Opening Lunch
Alma Powell, Chair, America’s Promise Alliance
1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Workshop Session A
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Grants: Getting Ready and Needed Tracking Systems
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Policies and Laws That Affect Advocacy for Immigrant Children
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Understanding the Brains of Boys and Girls Leads to Better Advocacy
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Disproportionality—How Are the Children?
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Judges’ Panel
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Adoption 101: Special Needs
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The “Grimm” Lessons of Testifying: Improving In-Court Advocacy Skills
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Improving Outcomes for Babies and Toddlers in Foster Care
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COMET Users Functions and Features for Experienced Users (1:30 – 5:00 p.m.)
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Networking Opportunity: State Directors—Staging a Killer Conference
3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Workshop Session B
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Individual Donors
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How Are the Children Who Witness Domestic Violence?
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Disparate Outcomes and Disporportionality
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Culturally Competent Services for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Questioning Youth
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Synergistic Advocate Retention
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Relatives: Taking a Look at the Family Tree
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Amp it Up: Heightening Youth Voices in Planning for Permanence
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Rural Issues—Rural Service
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COMET Users Functions and Features for Experienced Users (1:30 – 5:00 p.m.)
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Networking Opportunity: Evaluation
7:00 - 10:00 p.m. Recognition Banquet
Celebrate and honor the 2008 Award of Excellence recipients
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Monday, June 9, 2008
8:00 - 9:30 a.m. General Session
Steve L. Robbins, Inclusiveness Consultant
10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Workshop Session C
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Planned Giving
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Congressional Considerations
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De-Escalating Anger: From “Hot Tamales” to “Cool Cucumbers”
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Engaging the Community to Address Racial Disproportionality in the Child
Welfare System
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Evaluation
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Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
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I Made It Myself! In-Service Training Design for Busy People
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He's Seventeen: Why Bother?
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COMET Tools—Building Simple Queries
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Networking Opportunity: CASA 101
11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Membership Luncheon
Michael Piraino, CEO, National CASA Association
Mimi Feller, Board President, National CASA Association
1:15 - 2:00 p.m. Networking and Exhibitor Break
Opportunity to network with other attendees and visit the exhibit hall
2:00 - 3:30 p.m. Workshop Session D
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Applying a Four-Step Sales Method to Your Fundraising Efforts
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Educational Advocacy
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When My CASA Child Breaks the Law—What Now?
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Opening Doors Project: Improving the Legal System's Approach to LGBTQ Youth in
Foster Care
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Retirement Plans
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CASA and the Dependency Court
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Parental Alcohol and Substance Use—The Effects on Children from Birth to
Adolescence
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Survey Data Workshop
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Networking Opportunity: Quality Assurance
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Family Feud with the CASA Quarterbacks—Lessons in Male Volunteer Recruitment
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Workshop Session E
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What's Your Story? Communicating the Need for Support
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Considerations for Transitioning Youth
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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Review
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Volunteer Diversity Strategy—National CASA
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Surf’s Up—Don’t Miss the Wave. Using a Website to Enhance Your CASA Program
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Evaluation
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Rural Issues
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Helping Children in the Care of Grandparents and Other Relatives
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COMET Open House (Bring program data and specific questions for COMET experts.)
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Networking Opportunity: Corporate Partnerships
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008
8:00 - 9:30 a.m. Workshop Session F
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Looking to the Future: Creating a Revenue Plan to Serve More Children
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Child and Family Service Reviews
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Personal Safety
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Moving Forward with Children: Introducing New Board Training Modules
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Making a True Commitment to Diversity in Recruitment and Retention:
Minneapolis's Story
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Teens Tell it Like it Is
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How Do We Know How the Children Are Doing? Taking COMET to the Next Level
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Roles of Parental Substance Abuse and Consequential Incarceration in Child
Abuse and Neglect
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Networking Opportunity: Establishing an Investment Policy for Non-Profits
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De-Escalating Anger: From “Hot Tamales” to “Cool Cucumbers”
10:00 a.m. CASA Meets Congress
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National CASA Association Institute
Saturday, June 7, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
National CASA Association Institute sessions offer an interactive and intensive
opportunity to thoroughly explore a topic of choice. Participation in these
day-long, pre-conference seminars requires payment of an additional fee of $75,
which includes lunch and session materials. Pre-registration is strongly
encouraged as limited on-site registration is available.
Choose from the following seminars:
Leadership
for Changing Times
This session will focus on both the higher levels of meaningful leadership and
the practical application of leadership tools. Through a series of activities
and dialogues, participants will review models, skills and other tools leaders
require in challenging times.
Isabel O. Lopez,
Consultant,
Lopez Leadership Services
Fernando Menendez,
Consultant, The Thinking Tools Group, Inc.
Engaging
Your Volunteers: An Abbreviated Training of the Facilitator Workshop
Designed for local and state program staff responsible for preparing and
training new volunteers, this workshop draws upon essential content from
National CASA’s three-day Training of the Facilitator workshop to assist
facilitators in delivering top-notch volunteer training. Participants actively
explore the rhyme and reason behind the volunteer training curriculum framework
and walk away with a host of tools and ideas to make their pre-service training
program even more engaging and effective.
Brian Washburn,
Training
Director, National CASA Association
Strategic
Program Growth Through Strengthening the Board—Executive Director Relationship
In this interactive workshop, participants engage in group discussions and
focused conversations about the roles of and relationships between governing
boards and executive directors. They then utilize life-cycle assessments to
develop strategic plans for program participants to bring home to help guide
their organization’s course.
Trudy Strewler,
Executive
Director, CASA of the Pikes Peak Region
Delivering
the Perfect Hands-on Training: How to Use Case Studies
Case Studies: Working It Out Together is an effective in-service for
CASA/GAL volunteers and supporters in which participants process a realistic
case in small groups. This session is designed for trainers who wish to use the
Case Studies training in their programs. Institute participants receive a full
set of Case Studies materials in an electronic format.
Ruth Kravitz,
Training
Administrator, North Carolina Guardian ad Litem Program
The
Development Plan—A Foundation of Success
Is your organization stuck in special event mode? Does your board refuse to
accept fundraising responsibility? Have you wondered why your development plans
are not followed? This workshop covers how development plans can ensure
fundraising success, how to involve leadership and how to ensure
implementation. Participants leave with a development plan.
Linda Lysakowski,
ACFRE,
Capital Venture
Althea J. Valentine,
Independent Consultant, Valentine Consulting
Advocating
for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth
This workshop offers a foundation to understanding what lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and questioning identities mean and how youth-service professionals
can prepare to develop culturally competent strategies for working with LGBTQ
youth and their families. Participants will also clarify and assess cultural
views and values and identify resources to better support and advocate for this
population. People who have never participated in a workshop on sexual
orientation or gender identity issues are encouraged to attend.
LaRae Oberloh,
Program
Manager, Sioux Falls Area CASA Program
Rebecca Grossman,
Training
Manager, National CASA Association
Register for National CASA Association Institute sessions online.
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged; space is limited.
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National CASA reserves the right to change speakers or modify program content.
Check regularly for updates.
