Students from across the country to attend National Campaign Conference 2018

Introduction

The Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School will host the 2018 National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement from February 2-4, 2018. This unique event brings a consortium of diverse student representatives from 29 colleges and universities across the country together to gain valuable perspective and develop actionable tasks.

The 2018 conference program is designed to catalyze broader student participation in civil political dialogue and engagement on college campuses. Participants will identify processes and strategies to support open, diverse and inclusive political conversations that can provide first steps toward reconnecting college students and Americans who often see no common ground.

“We at the IOP are committed to supporting programs like the National Campaign, which allow students to openly discuss areas of political and social disagreement and develop strategies to expand the scope of civil discourse on campus,” said IOP Acting Director Bill Delahunt.

Since 2003, the IOP-led alliance has held annual conferences to identify collaborative projects, foster engagement in electoral politics, assist students in pursuing careers in public service, and provide a foundation in civic education. Led by a team of Harvard undergraduates, the student representatives to the National Campaign collaborate to achieve concrete goals, such as working with local election offices to improve the voting experience for their campus communities.

“We are excited to explore this year’s theme – civil discourse – with students from all over the country! The National Campaign Conference is a unique opportunity for diverse perspectives to converge and for students to explore productive and effective methods of dialogue which they can bring back to their respective campuses – a necessary and relevant course of action,” said Eloise Kaehny. Harvard College ’19, National Campaign Committee Chair.

Participating colleges and universities include: Allegheny College, Arizona State University, Colby College, Davidson College, Elon University, Florida International University, Franklin and Marshall College, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Howard University, Louisiana State University, Mercer University, Ohio State University, Rutgers University, Saint Anselm College, Simpson College, Spelman College, Tennessee State University, Tufts University, University of Chicago, University of Delaware, University of Florida, University of Louisville, University of North Carolina, University of Oklahoma, University of Rochester, University of Southern California, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of Texas, Austin, University of Utah, University of Virginia.

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