Washington DC: Mobilization to End Poverty

For the last four years, I have been able to attend some of the most intellectually stimulating conferences around the country because the church I work at (and community I am a part of) values the continuing of my education. I have been able to learn about economics and how to be a better grassroots organizer in our nation's capital, studied adolescent development in Sacramento with fellow youth workers, and learned about immigration in Tijuana while staying with recently deported migrants. This year, I attended Sojourners' Mobilization to End Poverty (M2EP) in Washington DC. I am a firm believer that a good conference experience includes three components: education, experience, and fun. The following entries are from my trip at the end of April 2009.
The three-day event held at the Convention Center played host to 1100 attendees from all over the country interested in the intersection between faith and poverty. It was great to hear presentations from people that I have long respected- Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, Bishop Mark Hanson, Jeffrey Sachs, Glen Stassen, Vincent Harding, Alexia Salvatierra, Van Jones and many others.
The conference by the numbers...
1153 people attended The Mobilization to End Poverty, representing 44 states (and The District of Columbia) and 6 countries ( Australia, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Madagascar, UK).

82 Senators and 210 Representatives received visits from Mobilization attendees during Capitol Hill Day.

353 voicemails were left on Congressional office message machines to plan all those visits.

90 volunteers served more than 540 hours to make The Mobilization to End Poverty a success.

24 denominations were represented by Mobilization attendees.

60 speakers attended The Mobilization.

15 workshops and training sessions were available at The Mobilization.

750 AIDS caregiver kits were created by Mobilization attendees through World Vision.

7 sponsors and 41 outreach partners joined with Sojourners to make The Mobilization happen.

645 tweets about The Mobilization hit the twittersphere during The Mobilization.

5 members of congress and 2 staffers spoke at the Congressional Rally.

67 news articles about The Mobilization were published.

1 Presidential Address to the conference.....click here to see President Obama's Message to the faith-based community

I look forward to posting more from my time in DC soon- it was a great experience filled with many memorable moments, new friends, and much-needed inspiration.