About Us
The Idea
The Thirty Summit is a gathering of young American leaders on Labor Day Weekend 2010 in New York City. Approximately 30 Americans under the age of 35 will each deliver a 30 minute presentation of their choice directly to the other invitees. Criteria for selection of the presenters is young men and women from all sectors - business, law, NGOs, politics, medicine, fine arts, technology - who want the power to re-shape the country.
What legacy will we leave?
The Summit's driving question is: What legacy will our generation leave?
The Summit is an opportunity to step outside the narrowness of our fields and the hectic nature of our busy lives to challenge one another to think big. In order to ask what legacy we might leave, we will also ask: What unique challenges will our generation face? What tools will we have at our disposal? What lessons can we learn from previous generations? What can we do today, together, to prepare us to lead?
By Us, For Us
The Summit will be organized, funded, and fully executed by its participants and a small support team. The program is comprised of thirty 30-minute presentations - each participant's chance to add their own perspective to the questions listed above. They can teach a skill, introduce an author or set of ideas, or present a challenge we might face. Participants are asked to choose a presentation that will not only push their fellow participants but also themselves.
The Thirty Summit is fully volunteer-driven. Every member of our planning and support team donates her own time and expertise. Our goal is to create a Summit that both demands much of its participants on the one hand, and retains a level of independence from outside interests and agendas.
Goals
• To create a unique environment for exchanging ideas and building lasting relationships.
• To foster real collaboration at the Summit, and to create a platform (online and elsewhere) for continued mutual accountability after the Summit.
• To create a model framework for future gatherings.
