By Michaelia Fosses

Imagine a group of students gathering in any room on campus—a classroom full of people, some chatting with their neighbors, others fidgeting with their backpacks.  Then someone walks to the front of the room and begins to speak. But it's no ordinary lecture.

On Wednesday, March 28, students across the country will gather to participate in YouthTrain, a leadership and activist training event sponsored by the Center for Progressive Leadership.

Participants in YouthTrain will have access to “a training video, a live event with national youth leaders, and a skills practice session,” according to the event's website. The event is based on the “house party” model developed during the 2004 Presidential campaign as an effective and personal means of networking likeminded people and fostering political discussion.

“I think this is a fun way to bond with fellow students on campus,” said Claudia Ahwireng, Program Assistant at the Center for Progressive Leadership. Along with the students gathering on an individual campus, the Center is planning for YouthTrain events to run simultaneously, allowing students across the country to interact with one another via a conference call.
 
Students sign up with the Center to host a YouthTrain event at their school. The Center hopes to have 50 schools running the training; however, at the time of the writing of this article, only 22 schools have signed up to host an event.

“This is kind of face-to-face,” explained Ahwireng. “They'll be calling in their questions and we'll be responding in real time.”

“We're running this with our partner organizations that have student chapters and we were hoping they would help us get to 50,” said Ahwireng.  “We definitely think 50 is realistic.  Usually there's a huge rush to sign up the week of [the event].”

Though the organization has never done an off-site training event geared toward youth, Ahwireng expects the event to be a success.

“[YouthTrain] is innovative because it allows a large number of people to gather in one space,” said Ahwireng.

Besides its technological innovation, Ahwireng says the event is cost-effective and convenient for many students because it is held right on their campus.

Gregory Cendana, a sociology major at the University of California Los Angeles, and host of their YouthTrain, agreed with the sentiment.

“I thought it would be an interesting way to get information in a different kind of format,” he said.  Cendana also said the format was one of the most intriguing aspects for him.

Ahwireng emphasized that the event is relationship-building and allows students to get together and share ideas; she also said it is empowering, as students have control over how they stage the event.  

As the event grows nearer, students are getting excited.

“I thought this was a great opportunity for those individuals who, after college, plan on continuing their work in organizing and lobbying,” said Amy Moore, a Women's Studies major and host of the YouthTrain at Humboldt State University

“I’m really looking forward to see what will come of [YouthTrain],” said Cendana.  “I hope to really engage other students.”

The Center For Progressive Leadership will make a big recruiting push in the next week, working with their partner organizations to increase the number of schools involved, said Ahwireng.

For more information about YouthTrain or the Center For Progressive Leadership, visit the website at http://www.progressleaders.org/youthtrain/. To watch a YouTube video about the event, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2YovxpOaJc&eurl.