The theme of the 4th Annual Immigrant Youth Conference (IYEC) at Vassar College is “Strength Through Organizing.” This theme centers organizing as a tool for empowerment and achieving our goals. As the immigrant community faces increased persecution, scapegoating, and removal, we affirm organizing to be one powerful way to resist efforts that divide us, and to help us build a collective sense of strength.

Organizing takes many forms — for instance, community, student, and political organizing — each with its own method, but all working towards an objective. Organizing is tactical and strategic, disciplined and structured, and requires working hard with a variety of folks with different personalities and points of views.

This conference explores strength through organizing by centering the following three questions: What is “organizing”? What lessons are learned from organizing, whether won or lost? And how does organizing create a sense of empowerment despite opposing forces?