Breakthrough Institute 2008 Youth Conference: Breakthrough Generation

Breakthrough Generation Spring 2008 Conference

April 10th -- 13th, 2008
Washington, DC

[From: Breakthrough Institute]

Sick of politics as usual? Ready for the current political establishment to retire? Have a few big ideas of your own? Then you may be part of the Breakthrough Generation.

On April 10th, 2008, a small group of the country's top young progressives and post-environmental thinkers and activists will come together in Washington, DC to outline a vision and a strategy for a new progressive movement, one that leaves behind the old generation's narrow and complaint-based politics.

Young people today are faced with an unprecedented opportunity to change the course of this country. The collapse of the Bush presidency has ended three decades of conservative ideological dominance, and U.S. political identities are adrift. It is clear that how young adults seize this opportunity will determine the course of U.S. politics for years to come.

The new progressive movement has begun, and youth are already taking the lead. The youth climate movement has quickly become one of the largest student movements in decades, and it has the potential to significantly influence national politics and establish new and lasting political identities. In November, the Power Shift 2007 Conference took the movement to a new level, drawing over 6,000 students from across the country and gaining the attention of key federal policymakers.

Breakthrough Generation -- the youth initiative of the Breakthrough Institute -- aims to capture this moment by fostering the creation of a new and powerful politics that transcends the politics of the Baby Boomer generation and establishes strategic vision and clarity among today's young leaders for overcoming our present and future challenges. This conference will be its foundational meeting.

The founders of the Breakthrough Institute have made their own case for a new politics to overcome our ecological crises. But they do not view these writings as the final word on the new politics, and are committed to an intellectually fervent, open debate that engages youth. Breakthrough Generation will be led by a new generation of leaders who are hungry for a fresh, positive, inspirational approach to our challenges, and it will develop its capacity to become a key intellectual innovator and advocator for young Americans.



Conference Application

Download Application Here

The Breakthrough Generation 2008 Conference seeks highly motivated and talented young individuals who are willing to challenge accepted social and political norms and possess an ability to think and work in new ways.

Please submit a letter of no more than 1,500 words explaining why you would like to attend the conference, what you would like to see it accomplish, and what you see as the central challenges and opportunities facing today's youth movement.

All expenses but travel are covered. Breakthrough will offer a limited number of travel scholarships as need is demonstrated.

Applications should be emailed to generation@thebreakthrough.org by 12:00 PM PST on February 4th, 2008. Entrants will receive confirmation of receipt via email.

Please forward all inquiries to generation@thebreakthrough.org.

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