NOTE: COMMON GROUND WORKSHOPS BEGIN AN HOUR EARLIER THAN LISTED. REGISTRATION IS FOR MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME!
Interested in learning more about immigration issues? January 12-16, the eighth annual Common Ground at the Border event will be hosted online by Good Shepherd UCC of Sahuarita, AZ. Pastors Leah and Karyn participated in a “Witness at the Border” event, also sponsored, in part, by this church and the Southwest Conference of the UCC, which is very active in immigration issues and actions.
Common Ground at the Border includes arts and culture workshops, as well as workshops from groups working closely with immigrants and asylum seekers on both sides of the border. Of course, this year’s conference will be a different experience because of the pandemic. But on-line workshops also offer an opportunity for more people to connect with those working on immigration issues in Arizona.
Here is the link to Common Ground if you are interested in learning more and registering for some of the virtual classes: Home 2 (thegoodshepherducc.org) The registration fee is rather modest.
Some helpful things to know: The registration page for this event might be a little confusing because it looks mostly like it focuses on arts, but if you use the arrows on the side of the “agenda,” you’ll find the workshops on immigration and dynamics at the border.
These are the classes most focused on that topic:
· AM workshops: Immigration 101 or The Environmental Consequences of the Wall
· PM workshops: Samaritans of Green Valley (or other art/culture options: Southwest Music or
Borderlandia: The Compelling Art of the de la Torre Brothers or Mission San Xavier del Bac)
These are the steps to register:
1. In the registration section, you decide if you want 0, 1, or 2 classes. A class includes 2 sessions;
(Part 1: Jan 13 and Part 2: Jan 14).
2. Then you decide if you want the Tuesday opening/welcome (free) and the Saturday closing lectures, which also seem to cover border issues.
3. Once you click “register now,” you’ll go to a normal registration page asking for billing info. etc. Toward the bottom of this on-line form, you’ll see the different classes listed and will need to sign up as “Attendee One” for the specific class you want. You need to sign up for each class twice: check the Jan. 13 session for your class and the Jan 14 session for the same class. Even though you’ve checked both sessions, you’ll only be charged once.
4. Once Good Shepherd UCC has you registered, you will be sent a link to the different classes you’ve signed up for.
