Only two weeks left to register!  Join us and explore new ways to support elder survivors of abuse and find meaningful ways to collaborate across our work.

• Join us for an information webinar on Tuesday, May 3 at 1:00 pm EST. Register here.
• If you receive federal funding (OVW or OVC) you may be able to use those funds to attend the convening. Ask your program officer for approval.
• Having trouble with funding? We have limited scholarships available! Email [email protected] to request assistance. Use the subject line "STAGES Scholarship".
• Breakfast will be provided each day. Lunch will be provided on Wednesday, June 7.
• Opening reception on Tuesday, June 6 with hor d'oevers, beer/wine, and opportunity to sit and talk with plenary presenters like Kay Pranis, Arlene Groh, Qiana Mickie, and Eloise Sepeda.​​​

Opening Plenary with Arlene Groh, founding member of the Waterloo Region's Elder Abuse Response Team

Arlene Groh is a retired consultant from Healing Approaches to Elder Abuse and Mistreatment. Highlights of her career include pioneering and coordinating the Restorative Justice Approaches to Elder Abuse Project, founding member of Waterloo Region’s Elder Abuse Response Team, and initiating Age Friendly Waterloo, as a strategy for elder abuse prevention. Arlene has retired multiple times. The transformative power of Restorative justice keeps pulling her back. She continues to give presentations internationally, nationally, and locally on restorative justice as a resource option for people affected by elder abuse. Her practice is guided by her core values of integrity, respect and humility. Arlene encourages legal, health, social services and faith and cultural communities to consider why older adults are being abused, what is needed to repair that harm and what is required from families, community, and government to ensure the prevention and resolution of elder abuse. She is the recipient of many awards for her outstanding contribution to seniors and her dedication to the prevention of elder abuse. Arlene is deeply grateful for the continued interest in restorative justice as a way of providing opportunities for change and healing to people affected by elder abuse. 

Opening Plenary with Qiana Mickie, Equity-Driven Food Systems Leader

Qiana Mickie is a New York City based food systems leader and speaker that uses food as a driver of enterprise, innovation, and equity. For over 10 years, she has worked on fostering a food based solidarity economy in the New York region that increases farm viability, healthy food access, and leadership opportunities for small- mid scale regional farmers, youth, Black, Brown, mixed income, and other communities of color. Qiana also brings an equity-driven lens to her local, state, federal, and international policy work on issues such as food sovereignty, land stewardship, and health. Qiana is the former Executive Director of Just Food. During her tenure at Just Food, she advocated for equitable food/farm policy and trained community leaders to start and sustain CSAs, Farmers Markets, and also become Community Chefs. She is currently consulting on multiple policy, food enterprise, cooperative start ups, and equity driven projects locally and nationally. She speaks on issues of racial equity, food justice, and solidarity economy locally and internationally.