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Volunteers meet for the Annual AID Conference 2007 |
Over 120 volunteers from chapters across the US gathered for the 9th Annual AID Conference at Tempe over the Memorial Day weekend.
The weekend featured informative and introspective sessions, voices from AID Jeevansaathis, workshops and fun-filled cultural performances with social messages.
The keynote session on Saturday was delivered by noted Bhopal activist, Satinath Sarangi, about the victories, struggles and challenges of the movement. Sunday saw Arvind Kejriwal give an overview of the Right to Information (RTI) campaign.
Other sessions included discussions about the "Project Knowledge Tree", a new method of managing and tracking projects, sessions on the deepening agricultural crisis in India, a session on micro-credit, a dialog about a resource center, perspectives on emerging challenges for AID as well as several "nuts and bolts" sessions for volunteers on internal processes and initiatives. It was not all work, however! Volunteers showcased their script writing and acting skills in the hugely popular "MAD ADS" cultural session where a range of subjects, from RTI to "How to become a Jeevansaathi in 7 days" were enacted as skits.
In summary, AID Jeevansaathi, Ravi Kuchimanchi had this to say- "I hope the energy at the conference and unity amongst all of us and the causes we are a part of, go a long way in rising to the challenge of ending exploitation and oppression of people by people.”
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