My favorite thing about the 2009 Power 100 Summit was when Hanson came on Saturday February 7, 2009. I enjoyed their conversation about “The Walk”.
The Walk is a project started by the Hanson brothers in 2007, and it caught my attention for several reasons. First, this event began with people walking barefoot in different cities around the world to raise awareness fight AIDS in Africa.
Next, every mile walked without wearing shoes adds towards the 24,902 mile goal for the annual event — roughly the circumference of the world.
Finally, when I think of all the situations that our nation is going through right now with so many foreclosures, the two wars and the economic recession, I think Africa is still worse off than the United States, and we have more work left to do.
I had such an amazing time at the Power 100 Summit in D.C. and made some great friends. This was honestly the coolest thing I’ve ever been involved with, and I know I’ll continue my involvement with ONE long after the competition ends.
I learned that one person can make a world of difference even if it is in just one other person’s life. The brothers from Lwala honestly changed the way I think. The effort they put into their clinic to help save lives in their community brought me to tears, and I know now that my mission is to help make basic healthcare a reality for those in need. No one should have to live without the simplest of medical care.
I have always felt that advocacy and lending my voice to those who don’t have one is important, but now I have a clear picture in my mind of those for whom I advocate. What these brothers did truly inspired me to raise my voice.
All of the speakers, events, and memories helped me realize this work is what I’m here to do. I’ll never forget the time I had in D.C. and I think it’s awesome we put some HUZZAH in Ohio!
Thanks to the students from our #5 school, Curry College in Massachusetts, for submitting this awesome commercial for their program, which is a great Power 100 Summit recap as well. Here’s the video:
The 2nd Annual Power 100 Summit was a great success with many speakers that helped student leaders like myself learn that we can make a difference by strengthening our own grassroots efforts that we hold dear to our hearts. Many of the speakers were very confident that we can still move forward with aid and helping our world’s poorest people. This is something that will help strengthen our own economy and help make a difference around the world.
As the COA for Minnesota and Iowa, I take large pride in 3 of the schools that made the top 100 this year (Luther College, Iowa State University, and the University of Iowa.) As a Minnesota boy from the Twin Cities, “Minnesota Step it Up.”
You may be wondering how all 100 student leaders were able to afford to travel to Washington DC. The answer is it was absolutely free no strings attached, just peer advocacy training so that student leaders have something to bring back to their colleges and build a stronger ONE Chapter. And of course we had a blast ice skating, walking around DC during free time, and of course 100 college students all in a hotel…I don’t think I have to say any more!
The best part of the entire summit this year, in my opinion, was being able to do what we all do best, lobby on the Hill! This was a great learning experience for those that have never met with staff or their member of Congress. It was a great time to emphasize the MDG’s and how important these goals are to the success of the world.
I would just like to say it is not to late to become involved in doing what you can to make your voice heard in Washington to end global poverty and preventable disease. No matter if you are in the top 100 schools or not, we all have the ability to make change in this world. I urge you all to become involved as much as you can to help make POVERTY HISTORY!
Morgan Cunningham from Texas Tech captured some of the best moments from the Power 100 Summit (including an impromptu acapella performance from Hanson!) and set them to an awesome beat. Check out the video:
When people ask how my trip to D.C. went, the only word I can think of to describe the Power 100 Summit is AMAZING!
But I wish I could think of a better word because it was so much more than that. It was inspiring, exhilarating, educational, and, well . . . amazing.
As speaker after speaker came to the podium, I found it increasingly difficult to distinguish which I enjoyed the most. I wanted to become a part of every single organization that presented and only hoped that someday I could be as inspiring as they were.
I came back to California determined to spread even more awareness, determined to make ONE an established presence at UC Davis, and determined to do everything in my power to make poverty history.
I could never say which part of the Summit was my favorite, but for me, it was a reminder that this is what I want to do forever. It reminded me that I was committed to the cause, and if reminded me to never give up on that cause. I must remember that no matter how poor I may be, there will always be those more poor than I that deserve my help and I am determined to help the world’s poorest with ONE.
The guy snapping everybody’s pictures at the Power 100 Summit was Hassan Barzani from the University of Texas in San Antonio, so it’s fitting that he should win our Photo of the Week 1,000-point prize. This group shot was taken at the end of the Summit on Sunday, and all those present had a lot of fun posing for it.
The UT-San Antonio Road Runners have been running up the Leaderboard steadily thanks to Hassan’s photo submissions, and we’re expecting great things from them next year. Great work, Hassan!
What do Lauren Bush, Senator Dick Durbin, boy-band Hanson, “E.R.” star Anthony Edwards, and Ambassador Mark Green have in common? They all addressed extraordinarily important and pressing issues at the Power 100 Summit. But they also did something incredible: they asked for our help. They didn’t ask for our money. Like ONE, they asked for our voices, and more importantly, our ideas.
I’m 20 years old, and for many of those years, I’ve been lectured to. I speak my mind and lead projects on my own, and by no means am I intimidated by anyone older than myself. But rarely am I asked, as one person to another, what I really think about complex initiatives. The fact that these professionals, activists, and entrepreneurs sincerely asked for the input of the top poverty-fighting students and promised to adopt so many of our suggestions blew me away.
We all knew our ideas were valuable – we just didn’t think they could be applied so quickly to these innovative programs. That’s what I’ve taken away from the Power 100 Summit; not just the friends I’ve made or the bruises I gained while ice skating (trying to, at least), but the reassurance that any input is valuable input, and that with the right audience, our ideas aren’t going to go unnoticed. I’ve applied this simple notion and it’s always in the forefront of my mind.
So if you’re hesitant to speak out or meet with your member of Congress, mayor, religious leader, or even a friend, don’t hesitate. They’ll listen to you, and your passion shines through everything else.
The final challenge for the Top 10 schools will involve taking over our campuses with ONE: making sure that every Wolverine, Trojan, Gator, etc. knows about the issues and our goals. In my time in Washington D.C., the most meaningful part was seeing that for the weekend, it seemed as though ONE had taken over.
After an inspiring speech by late-night talk show host Jake Sasseville, we took to the streets, many of us still in ONE gear, to see the sites. The chance to meet so many campus leaders, coupled with hysterical group pictures made for an incredible kick-off to the Summit.
At one point, my legs started failing me after a long day of walking in the city, and I fell to the back of the group. Instead of finding my eyes fixated on the monuments or memorials, I couldn’t look away from our group. An overwhelming sense of pride came over me when I realized who I was surrounded by: the Power 100 Summit brought together the nation’s most influential and passionate student leaders, and I was honored to be there.
In this moment, for me, the ONE Campaign become more than just that group that Bono started to fight global poverty. I realized that I was a part of something bigger than myself, bigger than the University of Michigan, and bigger than any of us can ever comprehend.
Walking around Washington D.C. that first night was the event that sparked a fire in me and propelled me through the rest of the weekend. I feel so honored to work with the amazing staff and students of this campaign, and am already looking forward to our next interaction.
Thanks for a great weekend, everyone! A special shout-out to Bridget Blair from DePauw for organizing our night on the town!
Was there a part of the Power 100 Summit that changed your life forever — or just something you thought was really cool?
Well if so, here’s a chance to earn 750 points by getting an entry on the OCC blog.
Just send us your thoughts, in no more than 300 words, on your favorite part or parts of the Summit. And send a related photo (or two) along with it. All photos will be considered for “Photo of the Week.”
Of course we’re not going to post just anything on our blog, so make it good! We want to know what inspired you, what you learned, and what rocked your world.
There’s no deadline, but don’t wait too long. After a month or so we’re going to have new things to talk about (Africa trip, anyone?).
The OCC Blog is a daily log of the ONE Campus Challenge, a friendly competition to determine which university's student body has the most effective global poverty-fighting campaign. The site is operated by ONE staff, Campus Outreach Ambassadors (COAs), and Campus Leaders.
The content of each post represents the views of that post's author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
TAGS: Power 100, Uncategorized