Conference

Rhode Island Conference was an experience I didn’t find beneficial to me. The panel provided had so much power and wealth of knowledge, yet we were not able to express our opinions prior to asking the panel questions. I felt as though it was organized on paper but very disorganized for the people going into their programs during transition. I felt as though the programs were very rushed and the panel time was extremely long. I went to listen to an organization and they had fifty minutes to educate us on how and what the program is all about. They addressed the main idea of the organization but didn’t give enough information for people that don’t know much about their organization prior to this interaction. I think the conference would have held more weight and been more beneficial if there was more time devoted to the programs after the panel. I know that most people felt the same way I did because as I gazed away and boredom set in I was watching people as they did the same. The panel would rattle off on topics of how they influence Providence and the topics were more geared towards how these institutions should influence Rhode Island. When you have a representative from Roger Williams in Bristol and they claim that the institution has a great relationship with the town, when in actuality the town has had an ongoing battle about taxing the land the private school is on. I feel as though the panel spoke down to the audience and that was very dis-hearting.

Youth Development majors needed these workshops to help select and focus on organizations they might not know about. With limited time and limited resources the audience is losing out on a great opportunity. I feel the conference could have been better for the audience if time restraints were taken into consideration.