The 2020 YDSA Winter Conference is approaching! This year’s conference will be held from Friday, February 14 – Sunday, February 16 in Chicago, IL.
Access the conference program here. More information coming soon!
Over 350 attendees at the 2018 Winter Conference
Registration for the 2020 YDSA Winter Conference is now open! Join hundreds of fellow YDSA members in Chicago the weekend of Feb. 14-16, 2020 for organizing training, political education, strategy discussions, and more. We’ll be announcing workshops, plenaries, and speakers in the coming months – all focused on our 2020 theme “Unite, Fight, Win!”
This year’s conference is focused on the urgency and opportunity to organize in this political moment. Young socialists face both incredible threats and incredible opportunities to fight and win. 2020 is not only an election year with a democratic socialist on the ballot – it’s the start of a new decade with rising social movements, working class militancy, and a growing socialist movement in response to the failures of neoliberal capitalism and the global threat of the far-right and climate disaster. It’s socialism or barbarism, and we have to be ready.
Registration
Registration for the conference is now open! Please click here to access the early bird registration form.
The standard early bird rate is $50. If you are a dues-paying member of an official YDSA chapter that has been approved by the YDSA National Coordinating Committee, you are eligible for a discounted registration rate of $45. Please fill out this form to apply for the discounted registration rate.
After you pay for your registration, you’ll be directed to a form where you can give us more information, including requests for solidarity housing and accessibility requirements. We’re working to provide scholarships and housing to as many YDSA comrades as we can, but it’ll be first come, first served so register and send in your requests early!
Standard Early Bird registration – $50
YDSA member Early Bird registration – $45
Travel Scholarships
Travel scholarships are available for students traveling from out of town to attend the conference. You can apply for a scholarship here. The priority deadline to apply for a scholarship is December 31, and the final deadline is January 15. These are hard deadlines that cannot be extended, so please submit your application on time.
Apply for a travel scholarship here
Housing
A limited amount of free housing with members of Chicago DSA will be available to students attending the conference. You can sign up for housing when you register for the conference. Housing is assigned on a first come, first served basis. We cannot currently guarantee free housing for all attendees, so sign up as soon as possible.
Apply for Solidarity Housing here
Fundraising
While we are happy to be able to provide travel scholarships and housing to students attending the conference, we will not be able to cover the full cost of getting every attendee to Chicago. In order to make sure that everyone in your chapter who wants to attend the conference is able to, we need your help. Here are a few things you can do to raise the funds your chapter needs:
- Request funds from your school to attend the conference. Many schools will provide financial assistance to students to attend conferences like this one. Please contact [email protected] if you need assistance.
- Start a fundraiser to cover travel and housing for yourself and other members of your chapter. Reach out to your local DSA chapter for help circulating your fundraiser.
- Reach out to friends and family in the Chicago area and see if they could offer you a place to stay during the conference. We will be able to provide a limited amount of free housing for attendees, but we cannot guarantee housing for everyone, so if you have another housing option please use it!
Please contact [email protected] with any questions. Looking forward to seeing you in Chicago!