I only recently heard of PowerShift because a friend of mine was involved in it and he thought I should go. On first glance at the information posted on the event website, I wondered why -- the event was geared toward high school and college aged environmental activists. Now, I consider myself an environmentalist, but it seemed like I would be out of place at the conference.

However, as I looked through the many workshops and panel discussions, I realized that I could learn a lot by attending. Young adults are very technologically savvy and they are now driving changes in how the Internet is being used. I thought that surrounded by 12,000 enthusiastic, smart, young people, it was quite likely that I would hear or see something that would benefit my work and the work of other non-profit organizations.

So, are there any breakthrough technologies that these young people are using that we don't know about? No. However, what I did find is that they seem to use the technologies in ways that are more open and creative than some of us may be used to. PowerShift itself was organized on the Internet -- email, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr were employed to get the word out, organize workshops, invite participants, and encourage community.

During the conference, participants were encouraged to post to Twitter and Flickr. Twitter updates were embedded into the PowerShift website and that page was displayed on flatpanel screens all around the convention center.

However, I have seen all of the above done before (e.g., last year at the NTC). Even though the technologies being used have been around for most of Web 2.0's duration, I did find that the PowerShifters thought about them a little differently.

First, regarding Facebook, we know about using Facebook to set up groups and pages, from which events can be created and sent to members. We know about posting photos and videos and having discussions on Facebook. But, the PowerShifters were savvy about using Facebook's Causes application. Anyone with a Facebook account can start a cause (or many causes). Causes help people to make others aware of an issue and to track their "impact" -- the number of people who joined the cause and the total dollars donated (Facebook processes donations through Network for Good). Causes can also be used to gather petition signatures that can then be sent to elected officials.

A key point that I heard discussed multiple times at PowerShift was that local, grassroots efforts were the most effective. One example of this is the Humane Society. Although a large national (and international) organization, it works at a very local level. Instead of having one Cause for the society, it has over 1,200 local causes. That allows volunteers in Wichita, Kansas or Rochester, New York to connect with local people and make good things happen. It is important for large organizations to find a way to appeal to people on a more personal basis -- and having local causes is one way to do that.

Another technology being heavily used was cell phones. Attendees were asked to volunteer to be state or local organizers by sending a text message to a 5-digit number. The idea was that the attendees were there, energized, and wanting to participate -- so they were asked to immediately take on leadership roles. They weren't asked to go home and think about it and then reply later -- PowerShift asked them to take immediate action. Imagine the network that was instantly created -- a network of leaders.

Throughout the conference, attendees were asked to take action, to take responsibility, and to show leadership. They were not talked at -- their voices were requested to be heard.

One final concept that was evident at PowerShift -- speakers and presenters said that it was important for organizers not to wed themselves to any specific technology, as no one knows what the next Facebook or Twitter might be, nor when it will appear. It was stressed that organizers needed to remain flexible and be able to adapt to whatever future technologies might provide the greatest leverage and efficiencies.

PowerShift organizers were able to bring 12,000 young people from across the country together for one weekend. This was only their second conference. The first one in 2007 had 6,000 attendees -- they were able to double attendance from one conference to the next.

Yes, they used the latest technology -- but nothing more exotic than we already know about. But, they harnessed that technology and used it quickly, locally, and effectively.