Registration is now open for the AFT’s Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Conference—and we hope to see you there this October!

Everyone deserves dignity, a life they can afford and the opportunity for a better life, so we will convene in Detroit from Oct. 10-12 to train, organize and forge bold strategies to defeat repression, reclaim our public institutions, and protect and uplift the most vulnerable in our communities.

This administration is betraying the families and communities we serve by taking from those with the least and giving to those with the most. They are abandoning public schools, making college less affordable, kicking millions off healthcare, taking food from hungry children and waging war on workers’ rights, all while ballooning the debt—just to give tax cuts to the rich.

But AFT members know that we are not just holding the line—WE ARE THE LINE. We will survive, we will thrive and we will win for our members and the communities we serve.

Every two years, the AFT Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Conference is where AFT educators, healthcare workers, school support personnel, higher education faculty and public service employees come together to sharpen our strategies and strengthen our solidarity with the broader movement for racial equity, opportunity and justice. With the 2026 midterms ahead, this is our time to prepare for the fights that will define the future of our professions, our communities and our democracy.

Register now to join AFT members and allies for powerful, hands-on trainings through three engaging tracks where you can expect more than just speeches. Expect strategy sessions, movement-building workshops and moments that will refuel your fighting spirit. You’ll connect with fellow AFT member activists from across the nation, community allies, national strategic partners and other invited guests who know that authoritarianism can only be stopped when we stand together.

Detroit is no ordinary backdrop for this conference. This is sacred ground for labor and the civil rights movement—a city where workers organized for dignity and where generations of Black, Brown, immigrant and queer leaders have confronted systems of power and changed the course of this nation. We will leave ready to confront every attack and claim every victory our members and the people we serve deserve.

 Mark your calendar and claim your seat at the table!
 

Click here to register for the 2025 AFT Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Conference.

The future isn’t waiting. Neither are we.

Join AFT Michigan for this PD, on Saturday, September 13, 2025, which will earn you 6 SBCEUs upon completion. This in-service is designed to support educators through research and strategies to move the learning environment to become more, humane, where students can thrive both academically and social-emotionally. The hours are 8:30 - 4:00 p.m., at the state federation offices at 2661 E. Jefferson in Detroit. Breakfast and lunch are provided for registrants.

Register here: See and Teach Me Registration

• Wednesday, April 23: W.O.O.P. Your Well-Being with Educators Thriving
• Monday, April 28: Mental Health and ADHD Town Hall with Dr. Vin Gupta
• Wednesday, April 30: Demystifying the Union with AFT and ASHA
• Tuesday, May 6: Generative AI & Special Education with the AI Education Brain Team
• Wednesday, May 7: Mindfulness Meditation with Dr. Claudia J Morales
• Sunday, May 18: AFT Book Club with MSNBC's Ali Velshi

Register now to get reminders and reserve time on your calendar. If you can’t make the webinar times, no problem; sign up anyway, and we’ll send you the recording as soon as it’s available.

View the latest on-demand webinars now. Explore the latest Welcome-to-Teaching podcast on civics, or catch up on standout sessions from our 2025 Virtual Conference—such as Mary Pope Osborne on the Magic Tree House series, AI tips for educators, and co-teaching for success.

Register here: Grief and Resilience In Our Movements

In the wake of this election cycle and ongoing crises, many of us are grappling with profound grief and vicarious trauma. How do these emotions show up in ourselves, our communities, and our movements? And how can we harness this grief to fuel deeper connection, mobilization, and resilience in our fight for justice?

Action Network, Community Tech Alliance, Fair Future Lab, and We the People Michigan have partnered with the STOKE collective and invite you to join Grief & Resilience in Our Movements: Strengthening Our Movements Post-Election — a powerful webinar series exploring how grief, trauma, and joy intersect with our work for social justice. Together, we’ll examine the ways we can support each other and sustain our movements especially as we confront the impacts of the election cycle and ongoing global injustices.

Webinar Schedule:

GETTING GROUNDED Intro Session [30 min]:

November 12th @ 6 PM ET/5PM CT/4PM MT/3PM PT

NOTE: This session is not required to join on the 22nd or December 6th, but a recording will be sent to all registrants for any session.

This session will set the tone, offering somatic practices and breathing exercises to prepare us for deeper work. We’ll cover how to bring grief practices into our organizing work and set intentions for building resilience together.

Grief & Resilience in our Movements: Strengthening our Movements Post Election [1.5 hrs]

• November 22nd @ 1PM ET/12PM CT/11AM MT/10AM PT

• December 6th @ 3PM ET/2PM CT/1PM MT/12PM PT

An immersive 1.5-hour session with lecture, somatic practice, and group discussion

We’ll dive into practical tools for addressing vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and grief in our movements. Through exercises, community reflection, and a roadmap for integrating resilience practices, we’ll reaffirm that anger, grief, and joy are integral to organizing work.

If you cannot make either of these times and would like to stay in touch with the STOKE Collective about future grief offerings, click here. To learn more about the STOKE Collective’s work click here.

Join us for a  book study on The PD Book: 7 Habits that Transform Professional Development, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. EDT, beginning Oct. 15.

In The PD Book, bestselling authors Elena Aguilar and Lori Cohen offer seven habits and a wealth of practical tools that help you transform professional development/learning. Join AFT national trainer Kimberly Skukalek in a series of Zoom sessions to learn how to inspire adult learners, the importance of having clear purpose, and how to navigate power dynamics in a group. Through facilitated collective discussion, you will gain insight into fine-tuning ways

Belonging is a critical factor in student success, particularly for Black, Latinx, Native American, neurodiverse and multilingual learners who are frequently underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and careers.

We invite AFT members to join us for “Shaping Academic Minds: An AFT Belonging in STEM Initiative.” 

In partnership with Beyond100K, this initiative is built on the belief that educators are key agents of change, capable of designing STEM classrooms that are not only academically challenging but also inclusive, joyful, engaging, and affirming for students’ identities and experiences. This initiative seeks to assess what our members need and how they are creating STEM classrooms and work environments of belonging, where every student and educator, regardless of their background, feel valued, seen, heard and supported. Your voice is essential to helping us achieve this goal!

Who should participate?
STEM educators (including, but not limited to science, technology, computer science, engineering, math, integrated STEM, data science, and career and technical education) who identify as and/or serve Black, Latinx, Native American, neurodiverse, and multilingual learners and communities.

How long will this initiative last?
Action starts as soon as registration closes on Oct. 2 with the prerequisite assignments outlined below, and concludes on Nov. 15. This is just the first phase of this work. We hope to use the information gathered from you and your students to prioritize the development of professional learning resources that focus on equity in STEM education.

What are the requirements?
Participants must complete all of the general assignments and those specific to their selected track to obtain a certificate of hours. Incentives and raffles will be offered every step of the way! (See track descriptions for projected number of hours.)

General Assignments

1. Complete a Belonging in STEM Demographic Survey by Oct. 11.
2. Attend a virtual launch meeting on Oct. 16 from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. EDT.
   (Note: Flexible meeting arrangements can be made available upon request to accommodate time zones for our Pacific regions and those who lead extracurricular activities after hours.)
3. Take “Being a Culturally Responsive Educator,” a 60-minute asynchronous online course provided by Beyond100K, and complete the accompanying Culturally Responsive Education Self-Assessment (30 minutes) by Nov. 15.

Space is limited. Register now for the initiative and launch meeting.
The deadline to register is Oct. 2.

This upcoming free, for-credit webinar will underscore the importance of teaching our students to critically evaluate the content they encounter—whether it’s in the form of AI-generated videos or social media posts.

But AI literacy is just the beginning. Throughout the fall, we’ll also dive into other crucial topics, including:

• Differentiation with AI
  Ready to level up your differentiation game? We’ll explore how AI can revolutionize personalized learning in your classroom, making it easier than ever to meet the diverse needs of your students. Plus, we’ll show you how to bring parents into the

Register by: Sept. 19
Launch date: Oct. 3
This 10-hour AFT eLearning module is designed to equip K-12 teachers with effective strategies for enhancing students' reading comprehension. Drawing from AFT's comprehensive research on reading instruction, the course delves into best practices for teaching narrative and expository texts while emphasizing vocabulary development. Participants will engage with the material through interactive videos, journaling, research activities and knowledge checks. Upon successful completion, teachers will earn a certificate for 10 contact hours. Learn more: https://aftelearning.org/reading

Differentiating Instruction
Register by: Oct. 3
Launch date: Oct. 17
This 15-hour AFT eLearning module is tailored to help K-12 teachers master the art of differentiation in the classroom. The course explores various strategies to meet the diverse learning needs of students, ensuring that all learners can succeed regardless of their starting point. Through engaging videos, practical activities and reflective journaling, participants will learn how to create adaptable lesson plans, assess student progress, and implement differentiated instruction effectively. Upon successful completion, teachers will earn a certificate for 15 contact hours. Learn more: https://aftelearning.org/differentation