What is the intent of the 2008 WABA-PLC?

This year the WABA-PLC Planning Committee has designed a program that we hope you, the Pagan leaders and activists from across the greater National Capital Region, will be as excited to participate in as we are to provide it. We are turning the focus of the conference to the various roles we find ourselves fulfilling as leaders of our covens, groups or organizations. With the cooperation of Jonathan White, we have used the material he developed on the Five Vocation Pathways for Priest/esshood as a foundation for identifying the primary categories of Pagan leadership: Shamanic/Mystic, Visionary/Organizer, Pastoral/Minister, Devotional/Priestess, and Prophetic/Teacher.

We will open with a plenary session that provides an assessment of the vocational choices individual leaders make, with particular attention to issues such as the work of specific vocations, and the roles leaders working each vocation play in their communities. This year's breakout sessions will be one-hour workshops on an array of topics that cover the spectrum of the vocations identified in the plenary session. We will provide a list of topics on the WABA-PLC website as soon as the schedule is set.

We will also continue for devote time to other areas of interest and concern:

• Group input on the state of the Pagan community
• preview Pagan Pride Week 2008
• enjoy sessions on leadership training
• attend an evening of Pagan entertainment
• network with other Pagan leaders

What's the history of the WABA-PLC?

In 2001, the first of what was to become a series of regional Pagan leadership conferences was convened in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This landmark gathering, which came to be called the Mid-Atlantic Pagan Leadership Conference (MA-PLC) and then the Pagan Leadership Skills Conference (PLSC), received Pagan delegates from across the Mid-Atlantic for the purpose of sharing wisdom, identifying common needs, and creating more effective communications in support of the valuable work done by our regional Pagan groups, organizations, and initiatives. In meeting these ambitious goals, one of the ongoing visions of the MA-PLC was the creation of smaller (and more local) grassroots conferences. To this end, the DC Radical Faeries, Ecumenicon Fellowship, The Open Hearth Foundation, The Sacred Space Foundation and Spiral Heart came together in 2004 to offer the Washington-Baltimore Pagan Leadership Conference (WABA-PLC), which marked the first time this conference model was manifested locally in the Washington/Baltimore area. The intent of the 2004 WABA-PLC was to address three important questions affecting the Washington-Baltimore Pagan community:

• What are our highest priority needs in the next few years?
• How can we best meet those identified needs?
• How can we coordinate our efforts to meet those needs?

The event was a resounding success. With nearly 60 attendees, and dozens of Pagan groups represented, the conference generated new networking opportunities, new channels of communication, and new friendships. Projects were proposed and acted upon. Thirteen short, midterm, and long-range goals were identified, as well as 100 common community needs.

In the end, those in attendance felt that this kind of gathering was not only important, but something to be continued. With this in mind, we again rolled up our sleeves in 2005. Building on the ideas generated the previous year as well as polling data from the WABA-PLC discussion list, we tackled six high-priority topics AND created action plans to move them forward. These included Clergy Concerns, Charitable Work, Information & Resource Sharing, Public Relations & Outreach Education, The Creation of Pagan Institutions, and Conflict Resolution.

Many of these projects went on to achieve substantial results, including ongoing charity work and outreach in our region and the ongoing provision of clergy resources. In 2006 we re-visited these projects and celebrated our successes.

Responding to community desire for change, the 2007 WABA-PLC program focused incorporating leadership training where, among other things, we shared proven strategies that could be used to strengthen and unify your individual groups. We discussed general community concerns and celebrated the previous successes of the gathered groups, discussed issues related to the national pagan headstone campaign and Pagan Pride Week 2007, enjoyed an entertaining bardic circle and networking with other Pagan leaders.

Who's sponsoring WABA-PLC?

Sponsors are now being sought for WABA-PLC 2008. Please visit the underwriting page for more information on becoming a sponsor.

How many attendees should my group send?

There is no strict limit on the number of attendees your group can send as long as they each cover the $33 registration fee. We tend to recommend that groups send at least three individuals, as that would allow your group to cover all of the three breakout sessions during the conference.

Where do my fees go?

Your $33 registration fee (or 45 if you register late) will be used to directly cover the conference costs and supplies. Extra registration revenue (if any) will be donated to The Open Hearth Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization working to create a Pagan community center in the DC region.

Is the conference ADA accessible?

The majority of the hotel is accessible for those with mobility differences. The conference organizers will also make every effort to secure volunteer sign-language interpreters and visual aids if requested for those with hearing/vision differences, but cannot guarantee their presence. Please write us using our online contact form if you would like to discuss such requests further.

What's for lunch and dinner?

The restaurant at the hotel only serves breakfast and dinner. For lunch, conference attendees are invited to join us at a nearby restaurant that will be selected prior to the conference. For dinner, information on restaurant choices will be available at registration and interested groups will come up with their own transportation options. Please note that meals are not included in registration, and attendees will need to bring extra cash (or food) for meals.

Can my group help underwrite this event?

For $200 your group can help underwrite WABA-PLC! Conference underwriters will receive two free admissions, thanks in the conference program, verbal thanks during the conference, posted mention in all the meeting rooms, and mention on the WABA-PLC homepage. For more about becoming an underwriter, please see our underwriting page.

What if I have more questions?

If you have more questions about the Washington-Baltimore Pagan Leadership Conference, please contact us using our online contact form.