Throughout the 20th century, social justice movements have rocked the American government and society through use of conferences and actions. This is no different today in the modern environmental movement, with the likes of the national youth conference, Power Shift.

Power Shift 2013, the weekend of Oct. 18-21, has the potential to be a weekend filled with informing and inspiring action in the realms of sustainability and climate change, but unlike other successful conferences in the past, Power Shift needs to become more accessible to all young people.

With a registration fee, transportation and lodging costs, Power Shift is unattainable for many – especially those not coming from an affluent background.

While other conferences of the same vein also take place in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom, Power Shift is set in Pittsburgh this year. The conference has taken place every two years in the United States in the last six years.

The previous three U.S. conferences have all taken place in Washington, D.C., yet this year central organizers decided to change the location to Pennsylvania due to its long history with the fossil fuel industry – from centuries of coal mining to the advent of hydraulic fracturing on the East Coast.

Power Shift is an experience of a lifetime, gathering the new voice of our nation, America’s youth, together to learn and speak out about climate change. It is in the hands of this generation to make strides in addressing our climate predicament.

Unfortunately, the high costs of making the conference alienate others that should be involved in the conference. Although there are methods to assuage cost dilemmas through fundraising and sourcing from college clubs and organizations, many are immediately turned off from attending due to cost.

More work needs to be done by the Power Shift head organizers to aid people in attending the conference in an affordable way. If this is done, the conference can be a more all-inclusive experience, stretch across different socioeconomic classes, races, ethnicities and any other dividing lines.

This conference is for our generation – for those attending school or working, for everyone within our demographic. Climate change is affecting everyone, and we hold the chance to make great transformations.

It depends on all of us, and that is why Power Shift should be available to all of us.

Luckily, on our campuses – at Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry – we have students that are organizing and working through logistics to help students attend Power Shift 2013. They are working on making it affordable for a small number of students to attend – mostly through club funding and fundraising.

Unfortunately, that is not the case everywhere, and Power Shift organizers need to address those who are missing out on a powerful movement.

We need to work for our futures and the futures of all those after us.

Power Shift is a jumping-off point, giving us the tools to start this work.

The conference is organized with youth in mind, having varied methods of learning through workshops, panel discussions, keynote speakers and even direct action events, such as protests.

With varied methods, Power Shift needs a more varied audience. We hold the power and that power needs to be shared across our generation, no matter what your background or level of affluence.

Meg Callaghan is a senior environmental studies major at SUNY-ESF. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at mlcallag@syr.edu.

Published on September 17, 2013 at 12:35 am