The conference rocked, plain and simple. I've
never seen so many college progressives gathered
in the same place, and it was a truly awesome
spectacle. I didn't get to attend as many panels
as I would have liked to, but reports from
colleagues in the field indicate that everything
really rocked. And that backdrop- unbelievable.
One of the most important things about the whole
conference was how positive the energy from
the students was. We progressives often get
criticized for only, well, criticizing and never
offering proactive ideas and initiatives. The CP
conference effectively refuted that thesis for
good. Everywhere I went, in the panels, in the
halls, during the parties, progressive students
were engaged with each other in debating and
crafting the solutions to the major policy
challenges of our time.
In an ideal world where there weren't as many
logistical and financial restrictions, it would be
cool to have a multi-day conference for two
reasons. First, to allow for students to interact
with movement leaders in smaller groups. I also
think it would be interesting to have some
discussion from insider types to talk in depth
about what the Right is doing on college campuses-
i.e. a David Brock-type, or other folks in the
know discussing, maybe from an in-depth historical
perspective, how the Right crafted the myth of
cognitive anti-conservative bias on campuses over
a couple of decades. Knowing what the other side
did helps as we progressive students try to
counter it. Second, gatherings like these have
vitally important social aspects, and a multi-day
conference would enhance these benefits. The CP
conference was the first time in the history of
the modern progressive movement that so many young
future leaders came together. Spending a little
more time together in future years would allow us
to perhaps make some better personal connections
that could pay off in the years to come.
One final note of praise: the most important thing
about the organization of this conference was how
it was small-d democratic in its most fundamental
sense. What do I mean? Something easy to overlook,
but actually of extreme magnitude. The
conference was free to attend. If there's one
thing that should absolutely not change in future
years, it's this aspect. Conservative student
groups, like the YAF, charge over $300 for
students to attend their conferences, which
clearly restricts the economic diversity of the
young leadership it cultivates. In contrast, the
fact that CP.org didn't charge students to attend
says a lot about what we value as progressives:
that you don't have to be born rich to be a
leader. If you've got the talent and the drive,
the movement is going to step in and give you an
opportunity to succeed. The cost-free aspect of
the conference is thus deeply reflective of
progressive values.
Following the 1st Campus Progress National Student Conference and a convention in my home state, I'm just starting to recover. DC is something else. And this Conference is something else. I met so many people who have done and are doing work all across this country that is great. And I met even more with plans in the works to do even better work.
I finally met, in person, friends like Asheesh and Ezra. I made new friends. I missed some people that I would like to have met (with 600 people, it would be near-impossible to catch them all). What can you do?
Still, I'm incredibly impressed by how the whole event came off. If you only watch one video of the conference, make sure you check out the opening panel on the battle of ideas. The panelists did a great job. If you watch another, watch the one on economic policy. I'm looking forward to downloading the videos of the panels I couldn't be at.
At this point, though, now that we've had an opportunity to look back, what would you want done differently? The greatest thing about blogs is that they allow for the dialogue, so, please, jump in and tell the folks at the Center what you would want to see done differently next year.
Talking to others, I can say that one of the frequent complaints was that there wasn't enough...time. The day we had was packed, fun, emotional, and exhausting. But we've got hundreds and thousands of young leaders across this country seeking skills and education to go out and do good work. One day was not enough.
One of my other concerns was that the skill trainings were all related to communications. All four were great and loaded with excellent panelists, but where were the basics of campus organizing, the Student Government Elections 101, or the live version of Nico Pitney's guide to quick, dirty, and great research.
These are some of my thoughts and thoughts I heard from others I met with.
What are yours?
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In an ideal world where there weren't as many logistical and financial restrictions, it would be cool to have a multi-day conference for two reasons. First, to allow for students to interact with movement leaders in smaller groups. I also think it would be interesting to have some discussion from insider types to talk in depth about what the Right is doing on college campuses- i.e. a David Brock-type, or other folks in the know discussing, maybe from an in-depth historical perspective, how the Right crafted the myth of cognitive anti-conservative bias on campuses over a couple of decades. Knowing what the other side did helps as we progressive students try to counter it. Second, gatherings like these have vitally important social aspects, and a multi-day conference would enhance these benefits. The CP conference was the first time in the history of the modern progressive movement that so many young future leaders came together. Spending a little more time together in future years would allow us to perhaps make some better personal connections that could pay off in the years to come.
One final note of praise: the most important thing about the organization of this conference was how it was small-d democratic in its most fundamental sense. What do I mean? Something easy to overlook, but actually of extreme magnitude. The conference was free to attend. If there's one thing that should absolutely not change in future years, it's this aspect. Conservative student groups, like the YAF, charge over $300 for students to attend their conferences, which clearly restricts the economic diversity of the young leadership it cultivates. In contrast, the fact that CP.org didn't charge students to attend says a lot about what we value as progressives: that you don't have to be born rich to be a leader. If you've got the talent and the drive, the movement is going to step in and give you an opportunity to succeed. The cost-free aspect of the conference is thus deeply reflective of progressive values.