For 3/26 New Moon
Our nation will never be the same. Over 12,000 young leaders converged on the heart of our nation, Washington DC, for Power Shift 2009, Feb 27 to Mar2. 10% of them participated in two powerful Awakening the Dreamer Symposiums which bookend this historic gathering. The Symposiums grounded participants in the magnitude of what’s at stake, and rooted them in the holistic framing of an environmental sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and social just future, and provided them a powerful context for all they learned enabling them to be more effective with all they set out to achieve.
A shortened version of the Symposium, distilled to its essence, deeply moved, engaged & empowered Power Shift participants. The symposiums, with over 450 participants for the first and over 650 for the second, gained more momentum and resonance with this eager, committed mass of young change-makers. No other Symposiums may have precipitated so many tears, spontaneous cheers, and deeply empowered spirits. The enthusiasm radiating from these bright young people stunned the 30 Awakening the Dreamer volunteers.
The ambitious and mobilizing pulse from the whole of Power Shift 2009 manifest a bold immune response to the necessity of bringing joyful and dramatic change to our world at both a personal and institutional level. These young activists form every state and many nation came to get further educated & trained, and to shine the spotlight on climate change, the need for green jobs, and to lobby and educate hold our elected officials accountable for building a sustainable equitable green economy now.
The importance of these young adult’s participation and partnership in this great crisis/opportunity is more and more evident. They have stepped up to the plate, and are engaged in the demands of the times with commitment, creativity, and hope. The reverberation of Power Shift 09 is profound. We can now most graciously begin the process of stretching past what was previously thought possible, and to once again relinquish any limitations we put on the utter brilliant potential of humanity to rise and meet the challenge with full force and heart.
Exciting potentials for further collaboration with the Awakening the Dreamer Initiative and this growing wave of young leaders are blooming.
Quotes for participant’s feedback forms
-This was amazing! I have more hope for the future than ever before.
-I love you. Thank you for helping to spread this beautifully profound message of unity and love. This has changed me in ways I didn't know could be changed.
- It was one of the best experiences of my life!
- … the symposium really opened my eyes and had me thinking about this issue in a different way. Thank you!
-Keep up the gutsy work - you've inspired us all!
-I loved interacting with other participants; this has definitely changed me, and opened me up to so much more! Thank you!
Sample hightlites:
During the Symposium when Van Jones talks about the power of one person and how a standing ovation starts “with one fool standing up”, at both Symposiums one person stood up and within a moment everyone in the audience was standing up and cheering.
On Saturday many Symposium volunteers handed out flyers on Sunday’s Symposium. Eric relayed that four African-American women coming to him after the Symposium expressing their great appreciation for him connecting with them & inviting them to experience the Symposium.
Links:
Chuck Putnam produced a 5-min video with interviews of Power Shift’s Symposium participants:
11 mins from Sunday’s Symposium was put together by Joshua G, (founder of: ):
Very powerful invitations by Van Jones, the Sec of Interior and others, plus more about the impressive coalition that organized Power Shift are found at:
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Power Shift showed decision makers, peers and the world that re-invigorating the economy and securing a clean energy future are one and the same. We have the technology – and young people are providing the political will.
. So inspired we were to provide them with insight into the greater community and movement of change that they are a part of, and to allow for an opening of their hearts to the immense hope found in seeing that the crisis we’ve created for ourselves is in fact a great opportunity.