More than 120 speakers

Over 50 Workshops and Panels

Keynote Panels:
Friday evening:The New Voting Rights Movement
Saturday evening: Building a Multi-Racial Movement

Strategy Sessions (Where do we go from here?):
- Racial Justice
- Building Democracy
- Community and Youth Organizing
- Peace and Global Justice

Recreational Activities

Music by Taste Emcees and One Drum

RadFilmFest

About RadFest/Midwest Social Forum
RadFest/Midwest Social Forum is an annual conference for progressive activists organized by the A. E. Havens Center for the Study of Social Structure and Social Change at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The central goal of the forum is to contribute to social movement building by providing organizers, activists, community members, and intellectuals the opportunity to come together to discuss issues, strengthen networks, and devise strategies for progressive social, economic, and political change. The forum has grown significantly in recent years, becoming an increasingly important annual gathering for progressives throughout the upper Midwest and beyond. This year, the program has expanded considerably, with over 50 panels and workshops covering a wide array of topics of local, national, and international importance. In addition, there will be a RadFilmFest hosted by Free Speech TV, with documentary films running throughout the conference.

The forum will culminate with four separate strategy sessions designed to foster dialogue and collaboration among participating organizations and individuals with an eye toward developing greater strategic coordination of their efforts beyond the forum.

Because the building of a progressive community also requires time for relaxation and strengthening social ties, we have devoted a portion of the program to recreation and entertainment. In the evenings, there will be music and dancing, with live performances by Taste Emcees on Friday evening and One Drum on Saturday evening. And throughout the forum, there will be opportunities for daytime recreational activities, including swimming, canoeing, rowing, hiking, tennis, volleyball, and many others.

The forum will be held on the weekend of June 3-5, 2005 at the George Williams - Lake Geneva campus of Aurora University in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, a truly beautiful location - 240 acres of rolling, wooded hillside located on the shores of Lake Geneva, about 80 miles northwest of Chicago, 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee, and 70 miles southeast of Madison.

Fees
We have tried to make the conference as affordable as possible, while at the same time meeting the costs of holding it. There is also a sliding scale, determined by one?s ability to pay. (Please see the fee schedule on the registration form). If you would like to help make it possible for low-income people and children to attend the conference, please make a contribution to the RadFest Scholarship Fund (see registration form).

Lodging
The conference site has two types of lodging accommodations: shared bathroom and private bathroom. The former are dormitory-type rooms with bunk beds, three or more people to a room, and a shared bathroom down the hall; the latter are motel-type rooms with a private bathroom. Please see the registration form for details. A directory of nearby motels, B&Bs, and campgrounds is also available at here.

Childcare
Child care will be provided for children between the ages of two and ten during all of the formal workshop sessions at no extra charge. If you would like childcare, please indicate the names of the children and their ages on the registration form.

Transportation
Free buses (suggested donation $5-10) will be leaving for RadFest from Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago on Friday afternoon and returning Sunday afternoon. To reserve a spot, please indicate on the registration form. Carpooling will be coordinated on the web. To offer or search for a ride from your area, please visit the carpooling page.

Volunteering
The success of RadFest depends on dozens of volunteers to help with registration, audio/visual, publicity, setting up the site, assisting people with disabilities, and other logistics. For 4 hours of volunteering, we will wave your registration fee (see registration form).

Disabilities
The conference site is wheelchair accessible, but hilly. Please let us know if you would like assistance: (608) 262-1420

Full Program: http://radfest.org/program/RadFest-MSF-2005_Program.pdf
Registration form: http://radfest.org/registration/RadFest2005RegistrationForm.pdf