Former Senator John Edwards delivered the keynote address at the opening plenary session of the 2008 Campus Progress National Conference. He spoke aboutyouth political participation, progressive political issues, and the 2008 presidential elections in his remarks titled "The Challenge of Reducing Poverty." He responded to questions from audience members. After a video there were remarks by David Halperin and Erica Williams. "What's Next? Transforming youth voting into youth power" was a panel discussion moderated by Ben Adler. The panelists spoke about youth participation in the political process, acting at both the national and state levels, and various issues of concern to youth voters. They responded to questions from audience members. .