High School Conference

High School Conference

A four-day national conference will happen in Ann Arbor this August for Jr. High and High School people who feel a need to get together and work out ways to deal with U$A/Public School/1971 reality. The press service for high school underground newspapers (CHIPS/FPS in Washington) has called for the conference. So far we plan to have it outdoors.

Two groups of Ann Arbor people have taken responsibility for organizing the event. One is an Ann Arbor youth organizing group of 10 or 12 High School and Junior High people. The other is Magic House-- which had some experience organizing the People's Peace Treaty Conference. Most of the decisions and most of the work will be done by the Ann Arbor youth organizing group.

The importance and the potential of a gathering like this is incredible. For years people have been going around saying "Power to the People" without really getting it into their heads that 54 million of "the people" in this country are between 5 and 17 years old. What that means is that over a quarter of America is forced by law into absurd public schools and controlled within the family by adults who often live in another world unresponsive to the real needs of their kids. We are the raw material for the very heart of the machine called "Childhood and Adolescence"- the 12 year span of time in which this culture takes open, enthusiastic, creative children and tries to grind them into an image of its lifeless, plastic self . At the end of 12 years, you can join the Army or work for a Corporation, as expected.

In the face of this oppression, youth have NO POWER. In school, we don't even have freedom of speech let alone free use of school resources. The law stands behind the parents' right to control the rest of our lives. Rebellions are breaking out everywhere, but there is little thinking together or working together.

We have to start somewhere. It's obvious that if the generation in power can successfully produce another generation like itself , there isn't much hope for the world. On a personal level, we all know we are messed over every day by people who have no right to be telling us what to do. We must begin taking control of our lives.

The Ann Arbor youth organizing group is having its organizational meeting this Saturday, June 19 at 3:00 on the second floor of the U-M Student Activities Building. We need lots of new people who really want to get down and put together a well planned, well fed, useful conference. POWER TO YOUNG PEOPLE! SEE YOU ON SATURDAY!