ONE Ambassadors Rock the RESOLVE 2009 Conference
Hello all! This past weekend, the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness hosted the RESOLVE 2009 Conference at Loyola University in Chicago. The purpose of the conference was to bring together student activists in the fight against global and domestic poverty to launch the Resolve to Fight Poverty 2009 Campaign. Check out their website for more information.
The conference organizers contacted me a few months ago asking me to establish a ONE presence at the conference through tabling and workshops. After a bit of planning, I was on my way to Chicago with one of my ONE at U fM members and my fellow Campus Outreach Ambassador, Nick Stevens, from Webster University in Missouri. Friday morning, we set up a table in their beautiful Information Commons building and spoke to all the conference attendees (about 300 students). In addition to handing out ONE bands and laptop stickers, we talked to students about bringing ONE to their campuses. Watch out for some new awesome Campus Leaders in the next few weeks!
Later that afternoon, Nick and I sat on a Student Activism Panel as “seasoned student activists in the anti-poverty movement.” It was exciting to have such a ONE presence, we made up half the panel! The moderator asked us questions like “What has been your greatest success in your work for the campaign? What is your greatest failure and what did you learn from it? How did you get involved in the movement? What advice do you have for young activists looking to be more involved?” After this, we took questions from the audience about what it is like to lobby congressmen and women, how to advertise on campus, how to get new members and how to collaborate with other student groups. It was a great experience and I think the students found it very helpful!
When asked to give tips to young activists, I shared the importance of passion. We are all passionate about these issues, or we would not be involved, but sometimes we may lose sight of that. I recommended that everyone do something that can remind them of their passion when things are getting stressful. For me, there is a large mural of Africa on my dorm room wall, covered in pictures and scraps from my trip to Kenya with the OCC last summer. For you, it may be as simple as wearing a ONE band every day or carrying a picture or quote around with you. Make sure to remind yourself why you do the amazing work you do sometimes, or you may lose sight of your impact.
- Stephanie Parrish, Campus Outreach Ambassador for Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin
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