Anna M, Southeast PA

Madeline, Juliana, and I just returned from our second trip to Washington D.C. this summer. After an 8 AM early morning train on Wednesday, we squished 8 people into a cab and made our way to L'Enfant Plaza hotel - the site of the conference. We were all extremely tired, but check-in wasn't for another five hours so we decided to explore the hotel a little before heading to the opening ceremony (where we met Cecile Richards!).

After that we shuffled to our respective break-out sessions on everything from the legislative process to using the media to your advantage. Juliana and I attended 'Campaigning from A to Z,' where by far the most useful information was the advice on how to start a Vox chapter at our school. It was an exhausting day of traveling and absorbing information so I didn't feel too lame when I called it a night and went to sleep at 10.

The next day was a whirlwind of Senatorial and Congressional lobby visits regarding community providers' roles in the new HealthCare Reform bill. Most staff that we met were encouraging yet realistic. They agreed that it would be an uphill battle when the issue of "federally funded" abortion emerged. Currently about 80% of insurance providers cover abortion procedures, and we just hope that after healthcare reform women aren't worse off than they are now.

On Friday, Madeline, Juliana, and I skipped out on the morning plenary session, hopped on the subway and tried to go get tickets to the Sotomayor hearings. Unfortunately we were one day too late, and all that was left of the long lines and ticket booth was a sad looking folded up white tent. Disappointed, we breezed through the senate buildings, hoping to run into Al Franken on our way back to the hotel.

The last three days offered an insightful look into the frustrating and long process of creating and passing a bill. When a piece of legislation is over 1,000 pages (as the Healthcare reform bill is) it's almost impossible for laymen/citizens to understand. And this is why grassroots organizing is so vital. Communities and individuals have to truly understand the impact that Washington DC has - and the impact that they have on Washington DC. It's easy to get caught up and discouraged by the political jargon, but it's important not to.