Workshops from the 2026 AWAN Conference

On July 11 & 12, organizers from across the country convened in Chicago to sharpen their skills and deepen their understanding of the anti-war struggle. These workshops were the product of real experience from the activists on the front lines of these fights and the lessons that Anti-War Action Network members have learned in the course of their campaigns, with cities collaborating together on a variety of topics to share their strengths and show attendees how they can advance their own work when they get back home.

Lessons in Campaign Building

Campaigns are a fundamental part of sustained organizing, but how do you get started and address the bumps along the way? In this workshop, attendees will get answers to these questions as three different campaigns discuss lessons learned in the struggle and their strategies for success.

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Solidarity Not Charity: How to effectively fundraise in your campaigns

It is important to fundraise for grassroots organizing and for people ravaged by U.S. led war without losing your campaign goals. This workshop showed how to effectively raise funds while maintaining the political aspects of your organization’s work.

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Approaching Ports and Port Workers

JPSN and EOSC facilitated a discussion on the role of East Coast ports for their Anti-war efforts. The workshop had 2 main parts: EOSC discussed lessons learned from their attempts to engage ILA local 1422 to shut down an Elbit factory. JPSN lead a discussion of various tools they have used to study weapons shipments and facilitate a breakout activity to practice with these tools.

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Media Relations 101: Strategies, tools, and tips for organizing

This workshop taught attendees about media relations and why it’s important for anti-war organizing. We’ll walk through different skills for media relations and provide examples of successes and challenges from the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee. There will be time for a discussion at the end to share and learn best practices and advice from other cities and anti-war groups.

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Design Theory in Service of Building Our Movements

Learn fundamental graphic design concepts and particularly how graphic elements such as color, fonts, composition and textures assist in conveying information effectively to your followers and increase attendance at events. This workshop also focused on how to design engaging, effective promotional and educational material such as zines to mobilize people to join your local anti-war movement and better understand your campaigns.

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How to be in Coalitions and Build your Work

Coalitions can be a place where disfunction and partisanship can fester. They can also be a place to develop a healthy city wide movement. Coalitions can drain our groups but they can also help sustain them. This workshop showed how coalition work can be done well. Organizers covered what it takes to run an anti-war campaign when you’re surrounded by many other organizations that have been established longer than yours. Additionally, what it takes to take leadership of a campaign in a big city where things could get swallowed by other events.

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Marshalling 201: Advanced marshaling skills

This workshop went through the roles of a marshal and valuable skills for marshaling, including deescalation tactics, placement strategies for crowd safety and police line evasion, and communication tips/tools. It will also discuss ways to increase marshaling capacity, and build up marshaling efforts within nearby activist groups to raise the level of organization throughout the community.

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US out of Africa: Fighting US imperialism in Africa

This workshop was focused on educating anti war activists about the US Empire in Africa and how activists and their organizations can join the fight against US imperialism in Africa and how to connect Pan-African anti-imperialism to their other important antiwar work. It talks about the Minnesota Anti War Committee's experiences engaging in African focused anti-war activism and how to connect with other groups already doing the work.

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¡HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE! Building Solidarity with Latin America

As US imperialism ramps up its aggression and war in Latin America and the Caribbean, anti-war organizations need to be ready to respond! Learn about building relationships with labor unions and community groups, organizing peace delegations, and active campaigns to free Venezuelan and Colombian political prisoners of the U.S. Empire. This workshop discussed how groups can oppose U.S. intervention and war through teach-ins, rallies, and contingents at "No Kings" rallies. Panelists will talk about international solidarity with Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia.

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