The Progressive Ideas Leadership Retreat

Summary

Leaders of 25 major progressive ideas institutions responded to a call from four peer institutions and met from December 10-12, 2007 in Tarrytown, NY. The retreat revealed much common ground, and participants recognized that they constitute an “ideas sector” for the cause of progressive politics and social justice. Participants have chosen to move together, beyond the organization-logic that necessarily guides each of their institutions individually, into a series of commitments and actions guided by movement-logic aimed at bringing shared progressive values and policies to the fore in American society.

Through three days of intense dialog, the ideas sector leaders realized that they could strengthen their combined effectiveness by forming a network capable of considering the Progressive movement and the ideas that animate it as a whole. The key commitments to come out of the retreat process were

1. To form a Progressive Ideas Network (PIN) whose first priority will be to facilitate
the exchange of ideas and techniques to increase the effectiveness of the sector and
grow the influence of a common Progressive vision; and

2. To immediately engage in a “Transition Project” aimed at promoting a Progressive
agenda through the transition into the next administration. Its likely form will be a
briefing book and communications strategy to influence and to challenge the next
phase of U.S. political life.

This proposal not only incorporates the group’s desire to build a long-term structure
for collaboration, but also to make Progressive ideas a beacon for our country through the present period of great change.

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