About the RMSPC
Thanks so much to everyone who helped make the Rocky Mountain Student Power Convergence a huge success! After a weekend of learning, connection, and empowerment, we are excited about some of the initiatives and collaborations that are coming out of the weekend! Stay tuned for updates, videos, pictures, and writing about how the RMSPC went and what will be happening going forward.
The RMSPC Mission Statement
- The Rocky Mountain Student Power Convergence is a gathering of students, young people, and their allies for education, empowerment, and action on our campuses and in our communities.
- We will discuss and confront issues surrounding the affordability and privatization of education, and education as a human right for all people, not just the privileged.
- We will focus on creating a student activist network in the region which empowers students to create concrete change through direct action.
What is the RMSPC?
The Rocky Mountain Student Power Convergence is a gathering of students, young people, and their allies for education, empowerment, and action. Student activists and young leaders will converge in Denver from January 3rd – 6th, 2013 for three-and-a-half days of workshops, discussions, panels, and trainings focused on building capacity for students to collectively take action and confront the many problems we face in our education system and our society. We are building upon the momentum of the National Student Power Convergence that was held this past August in Ohio by bringing together students and youth from across the region and the nation to network, learn from each other, and empower ourselves to address the problems in our outdated and increasingly commercial education systems.
Who will attend the RMSPC?
We invite students and youth from all identities, perspectives, and backgrounds to join us for the Convergence. We are looking for student leaders and young activists who are passionate about making change in the world. No matter what specific issues you focus on, they are all connected, and we want you here. We are specifically focusing on connecting young leaders from the broader Rocky Mountain region and the West, but we also are hoping to have representation from many other regions and countries.
Despite its name, the Rocky Mountain Student Power Convergence is not just for students. The Convergence is about empowering the younger generation as a whole, so it is for young people and their allies. We understand that not all young people are able to or want to become students, so being enrolled in school is not a prerequisite for attending. Also, we recognize that no youth movement can be successful without solidarity from supportive elders, so we will be inviting faculty and community members to join us for specific parts of the Convergence.
Where did this come from?
We are part of a growing global student movement aimed at giving youth the chance for a better future. In 2011, we witnessed the youth of Chile, Egypt, Greece, Tunisia, and countless other countries fearlessly stand up to fight for their future. Then in early 2012, the spark spread through North America, with thousands of young people taking to the streets of Quebec and Mexico for the right to education and for authentic democracy. The movement finally manifested in the U.S. with the National Student Power Convergence in August – and not a moment too soon.
Ours is the most educated, diverse, progressive, and technologically capable generation to date, yet we are the first generation expected to have less opportunities than our parents. Our generation has watched as our governments stand by while growing inequality cripples our societies. We’ve watched our environment continue to degrade, poverty continue to increase, prisons continue to expand, and wars continue to destroy lives. All the while, we’ve seen our educations deteriorate while our tuition rises. The world has made it clear to us that we will have to fight for our future. Youth and student movements have played a crucial role in many of the most important social changes in history. Today is no different. It’s our generation’s turn to build an American youth movement that can help drive substantial change in our world.
No one is going to do this for us. It’s got to be here. It’s got to be us. It’s got to be now. #HereUsNow
