I don’t think I can recap the conference better than Erik, a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) from Virginia (second from the right), who sent this out to the rest of the Youth Advisory Council when he got home from DC:

We arrived on Wednesday and moved into Madison Hall. We all went over to a grassy area of campus after move in and played a few ice-breaker games. My favorite one was Giants-Wizards-Elves. After getting to know everyone a little better we were able to get down to business.

We heard from Chris, Shawn, and a bunch of the interns. A former congressman was able to speak with us about what congressmen want to hear from people advocating for causes and how to persuade them or their staff. We had a panel of YACers who were able to help us prepare for our meetings the next day, which was very helpful, especially if you had questions.

The next morning we had an early start and were off to the Capitol. Missouri and Pennsylvania YACers had the earliest meetings and also met success with a very early endorsement. I met with a few congressmen from Virginia, but mostly staffers. With consistant follow-up, I believe that we can gain a few more co-sponsorships. My group was able to get pictures with Rep. Moran and Rep. Bobby Scott, both of whom have already co-sponsored the legislation. These meetings are just the first inroads to a gradual process of gaining their support. All we need to do is follow up by writing, calling, and e-mailing. Later in the day we had an optional discussion session on the Declaration of Independence, which I loved. We found how the Declaration really embodies the message forming a public service academy would send.

The next day we discussed our short, middle, and long-term goals for supporting the academy. Using new media, gaining college president endorsements, and trying to get local politicians on board were all stressed. They reminded us many times that politics is all local and that we just need to build a strong base of local support sometimes to capture a Congressman’s co-sponsorship. We said our goodbyes and traveled on home.

The conference was very important to me because this movement isn’t just something I do online or over the phone anymore - it has a face to me now. Meeting Chris and Shawn really made this cause that much more special and it just reaffirmed my strong feelings toward the importance of public service. Seeing that so many other college students from across the country shared these beliefs, conservative or liberal, was awesome. I just wish it could have been longer.