Photo credit: Marta Evry
The big picture: We amplify progressive voices by providing an online and in-person campus for exchanging ideas and learning how to be more effective in using technology to influence the public debate. Through our annual convention and other events, we strengthen the community, inspire action and serve as an incubator for ideas that challenge the status quo and ultimately affect change in the public sphere.
The big event: The seventh annual gathering of the Netroots will be held June 7–10 in Providence, RI. Netroots Nation 2012 will include 70 panels, 30 training sessions, inspiring keynotes (Keith Olbermann is our first confirmed speaker), film screenings and other engaging sessions designed to educate, stimulate and inspire the nation’s next generation of progressive leaders.
Each year, thousands of bloggers, newsmakers, social justice advocates, labor and organizational leaders, grassroots organizers and online activists come together to make new connections, hone their organizing skills, share best practices and build stronger relationships with others working on the issues they care most about. And each year, some of the brightest minds in progressive politics come to Netroots Nation to speak with—and hear from—our community.
Photo credit: Steve Stearns
Past conferences have featured a Presidential Leadership Forum that drew seven Democratic candidates including then-Senator Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton; a surprise visit from Al Gore; interactive Q&A sessions with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid; an appearance by President Bill Clinton; and a chance to hear from three Nobel laureates. As The New York Times said, Netroots Nation is “becoming as much a part of the Democratic political circuit as the Iowa State Fair.”
Think of it as a giant family reunion for the left. And while we’re this country’s largest progressive gathering, we’re also expanding overseas. We held the first Netroots UK in 2011, and Netroots Sweden is scheduled for April of 2012.
“It’s like a political rally, a think tank retreat and a non-stop party with your best friends all rolled into one. It’s a celebration of the past achievements and future goals of the ever-expanding Netroots. It’s an event where progressive leaders and candidates come to hear, in person, what you have to say. You’ll leave the convention deliriously proud of how far we’ve come … and where we’re headed.” —Bill Harnsberger aka Bill in Portland Maine, Daily Kos
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