[asset|aid=1127|format=image|formatter=asset|title=Sakeena Gohagen|width=138|height=299|align=right|resizable=true]2009 fellow Sakeena Gohagen is double majoring in sociology and African American studies at Florida State University. Last year she served as FSU Vote Coalition campus organizer as well as mentoring students and serving as United States Student Association People of African Descent Vice Chair.

She spoke with us about community organizing, making the progressive movement relevant, and the importance of affordable education.

Forwarding this incredible opportunity from the ColorOfChange.org mailing list. The deadline's tomorrow!

Ever thought you might want to start an online community or advocacy project, like ColorOfChange.org, yourself? If so, keep reading.

[asset|aid=1126|format=image|formatter=asset|title=Tips for Conference Bloggers|width=180|height=283|align=right|resizable=true]Conference blogging can be a way to share the phenomenal insights you're gaining and resources you're learning about with folks who weren't able to attend.

But how can you stay on top of writing about your experience if your schedule is completely packed with, well, the conference?

Ethan Zuckerman and Bruno Giussani have put together a six-page document, "Tips for Conference Bloggers," and made it available under a Creative Commons license for anyone to freely download and use.

[asset|aid=1103|format=image|formatter=asset|title=The YP4 Fellowship Class of 2009|width=300|height=199|align=right|resizable=true]The fifth National Summit has come to a close.

YP4 staff are taking a breather for the rest of the week, but we know our fellows are hitting the ground running as they return to their campuses and communities. We look forward to following up next week and finding out how we can best support each and every one of you.

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It's never too soon for nostalgia!

Pictures from the first evening of the National Summit — including fellows' first meetings and the opening reception — are now up on Facebook.

After months of preparation, we're excited to welcome the new class of fellows to the National Summit on Thursday!

Stay tuned to the blog for updates throughout the Summit.

Bloggers, please tag your entries 2009 Summit so others can find them easily.

More soon...

We spent much of a recent afternoon stuffing envelopes that’ll bring you information about the National Summit. No need to wait until the Summit to start connecting with each other, though.

[asset|aid=1098|format=image|formatter=asset|title=leadership_academy_at_second_retreat.jpg|width=225|height=169|align=right|resizable=true]Thanks to the combined efforts of Rob and Micah, a whole bunch of pictures from last weekend's Leadership Academy retreat are now up on Facebook.

Tag folks you know and upload your own! If using Flickr, tag them 'YP4' so they can hang out with other YP4-related pictures and not get lonely.

[asset|aid=1084|format=image|formatter=asset|title=hacked.jpg|width=166|height=135|align=right|resizable=true]SoapBlox, a site that powers many progressive blogs, was hacked earlier this week. They took down four of their servers to minimize the spread of the damage, and the individual who ran SoapBlox declared defeat. (He’s since taken down the post, but you can still read the text at DailyKos.)

I don’t suggest reading most of the comments on that thread, but Karl-Thomas of Burnt Orange Report notes:

[asset|aid=1021|format=image|formatter=asset|title=ted_white_blue.jpg|width=116|height=175|align=right|resizable=true]The holidays are coming up and gift-giving pressure is mounting. (Or so retailers, panicked about the economic slump, would have you believe.)

Even if you're going the frugal route, perhaps you're looking for some outside-of-school reading for the winter break.