Recent updates: We now have a location! We will be gathering at Loyola University for the weekend! As of now, it looks like we will be getting the group The Welfare Poets to perform on Friday night to kick off the weekend with some rad music! You can check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/thewelfarepoets

In our efforts to create as little waste as possible, we ask all participants to bring their own coffee mug/water bottle for the weekend. Also, if you will be using the housing we are providing, please bring your own sleeping bag and pillow. We're working hard to secure housing, and we are very grateful for our friends and partners in the struggle!

Come join other rad youth organizers for a weekend of learning, sharing, and celebration! February 20th-22nd in the great Windy City USFTers from across the Heartland and the Midwest will come together to build off the momentum gained in our International Convergence and discuss how we can act as a region and in our communities to really stir things up!!

The Strengthening the Roots: USFT Midwest/Heartland Regional Convergence 2009 will be held in Chicago, IL from February 20th through the 22nd, 2009. This regional gathering of students, allies, and other key members of the Fair Trade Movement will build upon USFT’s past accomplishments and will serve as a catalyst for regional integration and leadership development. It will further promote USFT’s mission to broaden the movement by actively engaging our high school affiliates and deepening the commitment of our college-level affiliates. Students will gain skills to act for greater social and economic justice in their local communities and around the world. As a regional forum, student groups with similar missions will have the opportunity to educate one another and collectively design campaigns to later implement around the region. Students will also be given the chance to communicate with members of the Fair Trade industry and movement in order to improve their understanding and to establish relationships for future collaboration.

The desired outcomes of the conference are the following: 1. Developing and strengthening inter-school connections and collaboration in order to deepen and expand the Fair Trade movement 2. Increasing the number of skilled, knowledgeable and confident youth leaders throughout the Midwest and Heartland. 3. Connecting student activism to the larger Fair Trade movement that exists outside of school settings.

First, the conference will enable youth to take a comprehensive and introspective approach as they consider the present status of the Fair Trade Movement. By focusing on the importance of community and relationships both domestically and internationally, students will reach a more holistic understanding of Fair Trade and its potential. Second, youth activists will be invited to confront issues of oppression as part of the movement, as an outside force threatening the movement, and as an issue that manifests in our day-to-day interactions and relationships. Through shared dialogue, each participant will acquire a greater awareness of his/her place in the movement based on past experiences and present resources. We can then begin to move forward confidently and with a greater understanding of our strengths and weaknesses. Third, not only is the conference a time for student activists to share their experiences, passions, and ideas, it is also a place where youth gain tangible skills through engaging in critical conversations that will be useful in any future social justice work. Students will further cultivate their ability to mobilize and act as effective and educated leaders in their community.

Students will leave the conference with a greater sense of solidarity and a deeper commitment to the movement. USFT will share its creativity and experience to provide the resources necessary for action within our communities. Regional conferences are unique in that they bring together a diverse group of students and perspectives while providing a strategic geographical basis for collaboration. Together, participants can harmonize and map their collective local and global vision for the upcoming year. The conference will be the largest regional meeting exclusively dedicated to Fair Trade and will be a rallying point that will inspire continued engagement throughout 2009.