More often than not, when a project comes off seamlessly, that’s indicative of several hours of roll-up-your sleeves behind-the-scenes work put in by those at the heart of its organization.

As co-chairs of the Student Movement Conference, Trent International Development Studies students Samantha Groulx and Taylor Holmes have been working hard to ensure the pending 12th student-organized annual conference is a fulfilling experience for participants. The two-day gathering will be held Friday, February 1 at the Peterborough Public Library before moving to Sadleir House on Saturday, February 2, 2019.

Student Activism: Organizing in Struggle is conference theme
Presented by Trent’s Student Association for International Development (SAID), the conference aims to strengthen solidarity between the Peterborough community at large and the Trent student body. That goal has fostered the discussion of prevalent social and political issues, both of the local and global variety, via addresses by keynote speakers, panel discussions and workshops. This year’s theme is Student Activism: Organizing in Struggle.

“The use of jargon with which we are taught is not necessarily the way people engage with similar issues outside university, so we’re striving for more accessibility to ensure we’re creating a space in which everyone feels they can use their voice,” explains Ms. Holmes.  Ms. Groulx further explains that the goal is “to encourage dialogue and explore topics related to student activism on both a local and global scale through a variety of diverse perspectives.”

Experience of organizing event is huge for conference co-chairs
For both Ms. Holmes and Ms. Groulx, the experience of chairing and helping organize the conference has brought numerous rewards.

“I am overwhelmed by the amount of support and teamwork which has allowed us to bring it together…it has taught me the importance of teamwork and sharing tasks with others to ensure work gets done,” says Ms. Holmes.

For her part, Ms. Groulx, who helped plan the 2016 and 2017 conferences, says the experience is a mix of highs and lows.

“On the worst day, it’s stressful but, on the best day, it’s incredibly rewarding working together with my peers to make our vision come true. Truly, the greatest benefit from planning the conference is the connections made – between students, between students and community members, between students and faculty.”

Tickets will be available at the door each day of the conference. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page here.