Top Ten Reason to Attend the Williams’ Effect Weekend

September 13, 2019
  1. Our keynote speaker is going to blow your mind! Tara Houska (Couchiching First Nation Anishinaabe) is a tribal attorney, founder of Ginew, and a former advisor on Native American affairs to Bernie Sanders. She spent six months on the frontlines fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline, and is currently engaged in the movement to defund fossil fuels and a years-long struggle against Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline. She is a co-founder of Not Your Mascots, a non-profit committed to eradicating Native stereotyping.
  2. Celebrate young people celebrating young people! We’re celebrating 25 badass young Montanans under the age of 25 at the 25 Under 25 award ceremony on Saturday night. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to celebrate these magical beings.
  3. We’re serving dope breakfast burritos! We’re working with Fork & Spoon to bring in some dope vegetarian, chorizo, and bison breakfast burritos. They’re gonna be hot, they’re gonna be big, they’re gonna be TASTY, and they’re gonna be served at 9:30am on Saturday morning.
  4. You’ll probably meet your new BFF! The Summit brings together dozens of young (16-30ish) folks from all across Montana who are already working towards a more sustainable, just, and ethical Montana. The chances of you meeting your new BFF in this room of movement leaders is pretty freaking high.
  5. Pat & Carol Williams are really cool! Pat & Carol have spent decades in public service as teachers, elected leaders, and advocates. They’ve had a ripple effect on Montana and kept this state the last best place. Learn more about their incredible work.
  6. We need political power now — and lots of it! “It’s work that is gritty, often thankless, and definitely makes people uncomfortable and mad. It can feel lonely at times, but when I got to meet other young people who were doing the work, too, I saw that I was part of a community of young people who are putting their passions into action.” – Liz Darnell, Billings
  7. White supremacy sucks and we should all work to challenge it! We are so excited to have the Montana Racial Equity Project joining us to lead a training about how, when, and why we can challenge white supremacy from changing institutions to reflecting on our own privilege.
  8. There’s something for everyone! This year we have two tracks of training: one for people who are volunteering as organizers and one for people who are employed as organizers. That means there’s something for everyone!
  9. Tim & Kelli are stoked and it is contagious! Check out why Tim Osen & Kelli TwoTeeth are so excited to come to the Montana Youth Organizing Summit this year.
  10. Two 25 Under 25 Awardees were featured on the It Takes A Nation Podcast! Terry Bradley, host and producer of the podcast, brought on Micah McFeely and Lyla Brown to start the conversation about what it means to be recognized as a young leader making positive change in Montana.