AMC2020 call for sessions is now open!

Session proposals are due February 10, 2020, 11:59 PM EST.

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For AMC2020, we’re excited to offer two broad thematic areas reflective of how content at the conference has evolved: “media for liberation” and “visionary organizing.”

This new way of organizing content replaces the way we used to organize the AMC, in which there would be as many as 30 different tracks.

Why this structural change?

In the feedback we received as the conference grew and grew — and especially in our Year in Chrysalis — we learned that AMCers were finding the multitude of tracks overwhelming and hard to navigate.

Plus, more folks were proposing content focused on skills and practices (beyond media, from facilitation to magic) for creating the world we need. Embracing the theme of visionary organizing lets us hold this kind of content without forcing a connection to media.

While this way of organizing content will be new, we know that the breadth of AMC sessions will still reflect the wild, world-changing imagination that has made AMC what it is for more than 20 years. We will be using “tags” to help participants find sessions that align with the topics they care most about.

We also recognize that the boundary between “media for liberation” and “visionary organizing” is fluid, and that content may live in both. However, for the purposes of your session proposal, we’ll be asking you to choose one or the other.

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What kinds of sessions are “media for liberation?”

Media for liberation sessions are those that contextualize, advance and explore all forms of media, or all the ways in which we communicate with the world: art, technology, design, storytelling, journalism, and more.

They may explore big questions like…

• How will we build new liberatory media systems out of our current toxic media environment?
• How will we connect with other humans and understand divergent perspectives through our media?
• What organizing methods and technologies will facilitate movements across borders?
• How can we circumvent surveillance and build cultures of consentful technology?
• What is the role of media in community accountability and transformative justice?
• What ancestral technologies can we draw from to shape the future?
• How do we disrupt systems of harm and heal from trauma through media?
• What kinds of storytelling will help us see the other worlds that are possible and happening inside of and beyond the dominant nightmare?

Does this sound like content that you and your collaborators are producing or organizing around? Propose a session under media for liberation!

What kinds of sessions are “visionary organizing?”

Visionary organizing sessions are those that grow our organizing capacity to envision and create a world in which we care for ourselves, each other, other species, and the planet; dismantle supremacist systems as they operate upon us and within us; assume responsibility for creating new liberatory ways of being, and; cultivate life-affirming joy.

They may explore big questions like…

• Who are the movement ancestors who defined visionary organizing?
• How does visionary organizing relate to resistance-based movements?
• How can we model, through our organizing, the world in which we want to live?
• What are the new narratives that will allow us to expand our imaginations beyond what currently exists, while dispelling harmful narratives?
• What is our magic?

Does this sound like content that you and your collaborators are producing or organizing around? Propose a session under visionary organizing?

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What makes a good session proposal?

No matter under which content area you’re proposing, good sessions often share some of the below characteristics:

• Shows a clear connection to media for liberation or visionary organizing.
• Holistically explores solutions that span the internal, interpersonal, and systemic dimensions of a problem
• Includes tangible resources and strategic next steps
• Creates collaboration and connection. (We love AMC sessions designed by multiple organizations or individuals, and that connect to an ongoing organizing process that extends beyond the conference.)
• Aims to be accessible to as many people as possible, people of diverse abilities, experiences, ages, and backgrounds.
• Hands-on, creative, imaginative, and fun

We prioritize sessions that are led by people most impacted by the topics being discussed. For example, sessions exploring youth media making should include youth presenters.

We look for sessions that offer a range of learning opportunities, from beginner to advanced.

Sessions can be hands-on skill-shares, panel discussions, strategy sessions, performances, presentations, meetups, or a mix of formats.

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