The Millennium Campus Conference: A Gathering Of Voices | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

The Millennium Campus Conference: A Gathering Of Voices

What I took away from a week of activist fun

8
The Millennium Campus Conference: A Gathering Of Voices
Jacquelyn Saunders

In the beginning of the month, I attended the Millennium Campus Conference in Washington DC as a member of ONE Campus. The conference was a gathering of young change makers from around the world and was an opportunity to grow our activism skills and network with others. It consisted of a variety of workshops, forums, and debates, all of which were informative and thought provoking. MCC was especially powerful for me for one main reason, it confirmed why I became a ONE Campus leader.

Of course, I should back up a little bit. ONE campus is part of the ONE campaign, a nonpartisan advocacy group aimed at eradicating extreme poverty, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa. ONE Campus leaders use the voices of college students to help ONE with this mission. They hold events, write letters, call congress, uses social media, all in the name of advocacy. I joined ONE for three reasons; their message that this is a campaign of justice, not charity, that voices can change the world, and the fact that Bono is a co-founder. Ignoring the last completely self-serving fact, the first two reasons were proven during MCC and has made me even more passionate.

The first reason, the ONE is a campaign of justice not charity, was proven throughout the conference. One of the coolest things about MCC was that America and Europe were not the only voices being heard. There were students from all over the world; Ghana, Haiti, and Liberia to name a few. Each of them had unique stories and visions that made MCC so interesting. Listening to them, it was confirmed that charity is not what is needed in this world, its justice. They are not looking for charity, they are looking to change the world and the right partners to do it with which is why being in ONE became even more important to me.

ONE also believes that we can change the world by simply speaking out. At MCC, I got to do that for the first time. They, along with ONE campus, organized a lobby day were volunteers went to Capitol Hill to discuss the Global Fund with members of congress. Personally, I got to speak to Senator Ed Markey’s chief of staff. We had an extremely productive meeting regarding the global fund and he made us feel heard. Many others who went to meetings expressed similar statements. It was also amazing to see how many people were this passionate about poverty relief and how many of them were my age. I felt like together, we could do anything. MCC proved to me that my voice has power, and when combined with the voices of many others, could change the world.

Having your beliefs confirmed is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. It makes you want to go even further and do bigger things. I am so thankful for being able to attend MCC with ONE campus and it has made me even more motivated to run my campus chapter and help end extreme poverty once and for all.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

The Unwritten Rules Of "Talking"

What is "talking?" How does one "talk?"

4774
girl holding phone
NYCPRGIRLS

Now that it seems “talking” is the new way to date, and will stay that way until another idiotic term is used to describe the people who can’t settle down and just date someone, I feel as if it’s time to go over the unwritten rules of “talking.”

Rule 1. Having feeling without feeling.

Keep Reading...Show less
The Stages of Having FOMO in College
iamthatgirl.com

Are you one of those people that gets super upset when you miss out on anything? Well, you may have FOMO, or fear of missing out. In college it’s not hard to experience FOMO every once in a while. You just love doing everything and anything, so hen you have to miss out on something it's the worst possible thing in your mind. Whether you’re sick, have to work, or have so much work to do you could cry – FOMO will hit you hard in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
Vivien Leigh
Revelist

I've lived a whole 21 years with an RBF (Resting Bitch Face), so naturally, I go through most of these struggles on a daily basis.

And before you ask, yes I'm fine. No, I'm not mad. This is just my face, so take it or leave it! To those of you who have been #blessed with an RBF, you'll probably relate to these more than you'd like to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Iconic Duos: Timeless Legends

From Luke and Leia to Beyonce's twins...

774789
Luke and Leia from Star Wars, a iconic duo
Lucasfilm

“Name a more iconic duo... I'll wait." OK, well, if you insist. In no particular order, here's a list of 100 iconic duos that seem to be timeless.

SEE MORE: This Is The ICONIC Disney Sidekick You Are To Your BFF, According To Your Zodiac Sign

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

A Candid Letter to My Best Friends Ex

Because this is the real form of torture you deserve.

1400
middle finger
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

What's up Asshat,

I've composed a list of things that I wish upon you, and they're harsh and cruel. These things are things that I wouldn't wish upon my worst of enemies, not even that Starbuck's barista who always screws up my order, not even him. You fall into a whole other category of hate. You surpass Starbucks barista. Congratulations, I'm actually a pretty nice person, making you worthy of every single bit of torture I wish upon you. What are these things I wish upon you you might ask?

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments