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 -
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:
-
Fundraising
-
Public Policy
-
Volunteer Skills and Resources
-
Cultural Competency
Click
here
(60 KB PDF) to see current 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
-
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.)
-
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
-
Rural Issues—Rural Service
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COMET Users Functions and Features for Experienced Users
(1:30 – 5:00 p.m.)
-
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
-
Planned Giving
-
Congressional Considerations
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De-Escalating Anger: From “Hot Tamales” to “Cool
Cucumbers”
- Engaging the Community to Address Racial
Disproportionality in the Child Welfare System
-
Evaluation
-
Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
- I Made It Myself! In-Service Training Design for Busy
People
- He's Seventeen: Why Bother?
- COMET Tools—Building Simple Queries
- 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
-
Applying a Four-Step Sales Method to Your Fundraising
Efforts
- Educational Advocacy
- When My CASA Child Breaks the Law—What Now?
- Opening Doors Project: Improving the Legal System's
Approach to LGBTQ Youth in Foster Care
- Retirement Plans
- CASA and the Dependency Court
- Parental Alcohol and Substance Use—The Effects on Children
from Birth to Adolescence
- Survey Data Workshop
- Networking Opportunity: Quality Assurance
- Family Feud with the CASA Quarterbacks—Lessons in Male
Volunteer Recruitment
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Workshop Session E
-
What's Your Story? Communicating the Need for Support
- Considerations for Transitioning Youth
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Review
- Volunteer Diversity Strategy—National CASA
- Surf’s Up—Don’t Miss the Wave. Using a Website to Enhance
Your CASA Program
- Evaluation
- Rural Issues
-
Helping Children in the Care of Grandparents and Other
Relatives
- COMET Open House (Bring program data and specific
questions for COMET experts.)
- Networking Opportunity: Corporate Partnerships
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008
8:00 - 9:30 a.m. Workshop Session F
-
Looking to the Future: Creating a Revenue Plan to Serve
More Children
-
Child and Family Service Reviews
- Personal Safety
- Moving Forward with Children: Introducing New Board
Training Modules
- Making a True Commitment to Diversity in Recruitment
and Retention: Minneapolis's Story
- Teens Tell it Like it Is
- How Do We Know How the Children Are Doing? Taking COMET to
the Next Level
- Roles of Parental Substance Abuse and Consequential
Incarceration in Child Abuse and Neglect
- Networking Opportunity: Establishing an Investment Policy
for Non-Profits
- 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.
