Common Threads Conference Creates Multi-Generational Community for Sparking Social Change

How do we keep our sense of hope and purpose? How are we called to contribute? What do we want to ask of or say to other generations? Teens and adults can seek answers to these questions – and many more – at Common Threads: Generations in Conversation on Social Change, a special conference offered by the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice. Centered around creating dialogue that addresses issues such as sexism, racism, homophobia, and ageism, Common Threads offers a unique venue in which citizens and activists of all ages can come together to creatively share thoughts, questions, and experiences. For teens in particular, Common Threads offers a unique opportunity for learning how to exercise mind and voice, and presents a chance to learn from and connect with others in a multi-generational environment in which creating social change is paramount.

Held on Saturday, January 23rd, 2016, at the Northampton Quaker Meeting House, Common Threads will promote discussion and encourage the building of connections between participants through a mixture of guided discussion, music, poetry, and Q&A sessions. Those attending the conference will participate in full-group activities, and will also get to participate in small-group workshops, including multi-age dialogue groups, explorations of artists as activists, group writing, and addressing oppression and structural inequality. Teen participants at Common Threads can benefit from the conference’s diverse offerings in they present a unique opportunity to engage in critical discussion of some of the most difficult issues being handed down to the youngest generation. Teens will be able to learn about the history of the many people and generations who have worked together for the common good, and will be able to learn about where they themselves fit into the current matrix for social change.

Registration is required in order to participate in Common Threads, and space is limited to 60 participants. The conference is most ideal for participants twelve and older, but exceptions can be made. As the event is intentionally intergenerational, youth participants can benefit from attending alongside a parent or other adult family member or close friend, so as to allow for discussion of the ideas addressed at the conference to continue after the event. Participants under the age of 20 can attend for free; those 20 and over are asked to pay a fee for the event. Register by contacting Marsha Lieberman at marsha.journey@gmail.com.