From Friday, Feb. 28 to Sunday, March 2, National YDSA hosted an organizing conference for members around the country at the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) in Chicago, Illinois. The Winter Conference attracted more than 370 YDSA members from tens of chapters across the United States. The theme for the 2025 National YDSA conference was “Ready to Strike!” in reference to upcoming strike campaigns arising across campuses nationally. 

“Last convention, we passed the priority campaign of a student strike…. We have a couple chapters that are either winning their card check campaigns or are doing strike authorization votes…. Combin[ed] with the Trump administration and the [current] strike against fascism, we settled on the phrase [Ready to Strike] for our conference,” said Callynn Johnson, a member of YDSA’s National Coordinating Committee (NCC) and one of co-chairs of the conference.

Many YDSA chapters had their campus campaigns derailed after the installation of anti-free speech policies by university administrations following nationwide encampments for a free Palestine. Further, after the presidential election of Donald Trump, who made major attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across the nation, many marginalized groups are under fire and deserve protection now more than ever. 

“YDSA at large is a very queer and very trans organization. A lot of far-right movements have a history of starting with trans people, [Trump] is no exception…” said Callynn Johnson. “I [am] committed to the socialist movement because I have to be… I don’t really have a choice because I’m a trans person in Florida. To quote Eugene Debs, 'The little that I am and the little I am hoping to be, I owe to the socialist movement.’"

Day One

The conference came to a gentle start on Friday, Feb. 27, where chapter members met and socialized during registration from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Following registration, YDSA members split up into regional breakout group, with each group representing a regional area of the United States (i.e. Northeast, South, Midwest). These breakouts facilitated discussions about chapter wins and common leadership pitfalls, such as lack of delegation. Day one of the conference ended with a one hour social that concluded at 9:00 p.m. Many YDSA members walked away from these breakout discussions having befriended multiple like-minded comrades, allowing for further YDSA cohesion and community to foster in the future. 

Day Two

Saturday, Feb. 28 was the most action-packed day, featuring 10 hours of conference breakouts, workshops, speakers, and socials. The day began with a catered breakfast that included vegan and gluten-free options and eggs, muffins, and coffee. Following breakfast and registration, CTU teacher and former co-chair of the Boston Teachers Union Housing Justice Committee, Ann Finkel gave an empowering speech about the future of the labor movement and its connection to public schools. 

Workshop Block 1 began at 11:00 a.m. and included sessions such as Demands that Meet the Moment, For an Intersectional YDSA, From Conversations to Cards: Student Worker Organizing, Red State Labor Organizing, Student Government, and How to Build New Leaders. 

Workshop Block 1 concluded at 12:30 p.m. and was followed by a 15-minute break in between the Workshop Block 2, which began at 12:45 p.m. Workshop Block 2 included workshops such as Plan to Win: Creating a Campaign Timeline, CHIC Presents: Conversations for a More Diverse YDSA, Social Media, Building your BDS Coalition, Essential Mass Organizing Skills, and Recruitment Through Campaigns. 

Workshop Block 2 concluded at 2 p.m. to break for lunch. Members from chapters from across the nation huddled around conference tables with new-found friends to discuss the workshops they attended over grilled chicken, grilled vegetables, potatoes, pasta and rice. Following a 45-minute lunch session, students met for Plenary One to host a National Political Discussion on the state of America. Groups of people around the conference hall discussed their opinions on the plenary question, “Given the current state of YDSA, do you think it’s useful to develop a base off campus? If so, what would this look like in our chapters?” Some people argued to keep YDSA confined to campuses so that individual campus movements could be more successful, while others debated that YDSA should have a youth wing to engage young socialists who are not in higher education. Following 30 minutes of discussion, members from the NCC gave their closing announcements before encouraging attendees to organize identity breakout groups, where students could discuss their personal identities among like minded young socialists. Identity breakouts groups included disabled socialists, feminist socialists, queer socialists, and socialists of color. The identity breakouts were 45 minutes each and were held twice so that students could attend more than one breakout. Following an hour and 30 minutes of identity breakouts, Day Two of the 2025 YDSA Winter Conference came to an end at 7:00 p.m.

Day Three

Day Three of the Organizing Conference began at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 2 with registration and breakfast. Conference attendees met other comrades over eggs and muffins for an hour before opening announcements began at 10:00 a.m. Following 15 minutes of announcements from the NCC, Plenary Two began, with discussion surrounding the 2028 General Strike. At the last YDSA Convention in August, 2024, YDSA delegates voted on a priority campaign of a student strike by 2028; Plenary Two hoped to readdress the priority campaign and encourage organizing among campus chapters for mass action. Thus, the first discussion question for Plenary Two was: "As socialists engage in mass organizing, we will find ourselves organizing alongside non-socialists in that struggle. How should YDSA chapters orient themselves towards these mass structures and what is the role we play (if any) in forming them?" Conference attendees discussed potential community building tactics socialists could use among non-socialists to include as many marginalized groups and political ideologies as safely possible into mass striking action. Some people believed YDSA had a major role to play in building community for mass action, while others believed the burden should fall upon multiple justice groups, not just YDSA.

The second discussion question for Plenary Two was “How can YDSA chapters be ‘woke’ (i.e. engage in current social movements) in a way that tangibly transfers power from the ruling class to the working class?” Jeffrey Childs, the speaker who announced the second question, made a poignant point about how, because YDSA is a mass student and labor movement, it “should be Black, YDSA should be queer, [and] YDSA should be trans.” Among groups, students discussed methods on how to make YDSA chapters safe spaces for marginalized people by continuing consistent and friendly outreach, whether through text or through one-on-one conversations, to prospective YDSA members and leadership, regardless of their identity. Students from marginalized communities should be uplifted by the chapter to assume responsibility and take on leadership roles in order to create welcoming and diverse organizing spaces on campus.

Following 45 minutes of discussion for Plenary Two, Workshop Block 3 began and included workshops such as How to Do Effective Political Education, Earned Media Coverage, Rebuilding the Militant Labor Movement: Rank-and-File Strategy, Student Unions, Discussing the YDSA Program, and Conversation with International Parties.

Workshop Block 3 ended at 12:45 p.m., where conference attendees had 15 minutes of break before the next workshop block began at 1:00 p.m. Workshop Block 4 offered sessions such as Tech Tools to fight Repression, How to do Political Writing, Municipal Electoral Campaigns, Building towards a Student Strike, and YLOC Presents – How to Win a Demand in your workplace.

Workshop Block 4 concluded at 2:30 p.m. to break for an hour of lunch. Pasta, grilled chicken, grilled vegetables, potatoes, and rice was served by a union catering company and enjoyed by countless chapter members across the nation in the main conference hall. Because March 2 was the last day of the conference, many attendees left during the lunch break to rush to flights back to their campuses, but those who stayed participated in the 3:30 p.m. Plenary Three - Next Steps for Our Movement discussion. For 30 minutes, students mulled over the question, “How should YDSA develop lifelong socialist organizers?” among comrades, with most coming to the consensus that developing lifelong organizers requires consistent outreach and structured planning. The final day of the 2025 YDSA Winter Organizing Conference came to a conclusion at 4:00 p.m. with some closing announcements from NCC. They advertised conference attendees to sign up to join the upcoming 2025 YDSA National Convention in Chicago, Illinois from Aug. 4-6. At the National Convention, YDSA chapter representatives vote on National YDSA’s 2026’s resolutions and elections, making it an incredibly administratively influential event for invested members to attend. Any dedicated members of YDSA who are interested in attending can contact the NCC or visit https://www.dsausa.org/convention2025/.

The 2025 YDSA Winter Organizing Conference concluded with a renewed sense of purpose and unity among its attendees. Over the course of three days, members from across the country engaged in critical discussions, skill-building workshops, and strategic planning sessions aimed at strengthening the student labor movement and preparing for future organizing efforts. The conference served as a vital space for fostering connections, sharing knowledge, and reaffirming YDSA’s commitment to intersectional socialism in the face of mounting challenges. As members return to their campuses, the energy and insights gained from the conference will undoubtedly fuel ongoing efforts to build power, mobilize for a student strike, and continue the fight for justice on and beyond their campuses. Looking ahead to the 2025 National Convention in August, YDSA chapters will have the opportunity to shape the organization’s future, ensuring that the movement remains bold, inclusive, and ready to strike.

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