Robert P. Moses, a civil rights leader and Cambridge resident known for his work in education, received a lifetime service award from a Boston public service organization at the Strand Theater on Friday night.

The Campus Outreach Opportunity League (COOL) presented Moses with the award at the keynote event of its 17th annual conference, which brought more than 1,500 college students to Cambridge from across the country, India, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom.

The conference, hosted by Harvard this year, comprised two intensive days of workshops focusing on effective public service on college campuses. Harvard students have been working on coordinating the conference since the fall.

Moses spoke to the COOL crowd about his work with the Algebra Project and what he refers to as "sharecropper education," or the system of educational inequity leftover from the years following the Civil War.

"There is a growing number of children in our cities who are going to be the designated serfs of the information technology age," Moses said. "They're being trained to work in the plantations of our cities--McDonald's."

Moses said Project Algebra works against these lowered expectations by challenging students to advocate on their own behalf.

"The Algebra Project is working the demand side of education--how can we get these students to make the demands on themselves, their peers," he said.

Moses lives with his wife in Cambridge, but commutes to teach mathematics in Mississippi during the week.

Before Moses spoke, Craig D. Kielburger delivered the keynote address, encouraging students to take action against child abuse and child labor issues around the world. Kielburger is the 18-year-old founder of the non-profit organization (Kids can) Free The Children, a children's rights advocacy group.

The appearances by Kielburger, Moses and several musical guests ushered in a weekend full of workshops.

Andrew Park '02, vice president of the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA), led a workshop on ethnic groups and public service. He said he was pleasantly surprised at the turnout for his workshop--one of more than 170 offered over the weekend.

"It was great hearing so many perspectives on a topic that doesn't get discussed often," he said.

Stephen N. Smith '02, the lead student organizer for the conference this year, presented a workshop on the pressures on working parents, in addition to coordinating Harvard's hosting effort.

"The all-stars of non-profits were all here this weekend. There were amazing groups of people in the audience at every event," he said.

Laura E. Clancy '02, who presented a workshop on service in Native American communities, said she wished Harvard students had gotten more of a chance to learn service strategies from visiting students.