As the Training Director at Democracy For America, I get to meet some amazing people at our trainings. Men and women of all backgrounds and colors come to our trainings because they want to make a difference in their communities. Some are candidates, some are looking for a job on a campaign, and some just want to be a better volunteer or party activist.
DFA is organizing 19 different trainings in 16 states in 2009. We're going off the beaten path this year. Most of these places have never had professional campaign training in their area before, but all of them have hundreds of local activists eager to learn how to elect more and better Democrats in their area.
We keep the cost of attendance as low as possible - $60 or $30 for the weekend. In these times, though, even that may be too high a barrier. So this year we've set up a scholarship program to make sure our campaign training is available to anyone who wants to learn.
That's where you come in. There are almost a hundred different people who have applied for training scholarships this year. I am looking for some generous souls who want to help send some of these activists to a DFA training in their area.Donate today and we'll connect you with an activist you can help.
Each applicant is asked two simple questions when they apply: 1) Why do you want to attend the training? and 2) What do you hope to get out of the training? I've included a few of their applications below.
Let's see if we can raise enough money to send these great activists to a training this year.
Patricia - Phoenix, AZ Training July 25-26
Why do you want to attend the DFA campaign academy?
I want to be an integral part of reclaiming our government, which should be non-partisan and serving the constituents, not special interest groups. I was a Goldwater girl, as was our Secretary of State. I am very certain if Senator Goldwater were alive today, he would be a Democrat. I have lived in AZ for 12 years, migrating from the East Coast. I am still
working, at 62, and do not even see a day I can retire. We have no safety net here, in health care or education. I volunteer over forty hours each week and often feel as though I am spinning my wheels against the system. Common sense is lost. Calm logical thinking has been replaced with following polls.
What do you hope to get out of the training?
Knowledge to move this country forward, one precinct at a time. My district is fairly GOP but my Precinct registered and voted Democrat.
Click here to sponsor Patricia!
DFA Trainings empower people with the skills to make a huge impact on thier communities. Fundraising, Field Organizing, Communications, Online Organizing, Precinct Organizing, Volunteers...and we're just scratching the surface. Click here to see our entire campaign training curriculum.
Lorna - Charlotte, NC Training June 6-7
Why do you want to attend the DFA campaign academy?
I am young woman, a student at Furman University, who has a great interest in politics and has spent the past semester living in Washington DC and serving as an intern for Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin.
I have seen first hand the great strides that women have made in the field of politics however, my experience in DC has taught me that women have so much further to go. Women are under represented within local, state, and federal politics and this needs to change. I hope that the DFA campaign academy will give me the skills and tools necessary to help get women, especially young women, elected into political office and eventually to help give myself the skills to someday run for office myself. Women often show an interest in entering politics but chose not to do so due to family obligations, lack of training and experience, and or fear. Women need to know that their political aspirations are not only achievable but are needed. I hope that the DFA Campaign Academy can help aid this effort and that I can be apart of it. As a young college woman, I can bring a new perspective to the training. I will be an asset to this training and this organization if given the chance.
What do you hope to get out of the training?
Again, as I mentioned before, I hope the DFA Campaign Academy will help give me the skills to both work to get women elected at the local, state, and federal levels and to also educate myself on the campaign process in the hopes of someday running for elected office. Also, such trainings offer invaluable opportunities for networking that are essential in getting jobs and even more essential in running successful campaigns. I am a college student and have served as an intern on Capitol Hill. I have learned through my professors and text books what it is to both run in a political campaign and to serve in a political office. As an intern, I have seen first hand what is required of an elected official. However, I have not seen first hand what it is to run in a political campaign. This, I feel, is essential to my political education and is something that the DFA Campaign Training can give me.
Click here to sponsor Lorna!
Chad - Birmingham, AL Training July 18-19
Why do you want to attend the DFA campaign academy?
I have worked on several Democratic campaigns throughout high school and college. I was the Etowah County Coordinator for Kerry-Edwards in 2004. I mainly have worked on small local races such as County Commission, Judicial and Revenue Commissioner. In 2005, when I was 19, I ran for a seat on the County Commission during a special election and won the Democratic primary but fell a few votes short of beating the Republican. I am currently in college at Jacksonville State and I would love to attend this seminar to learn some new ideas and strategies for helping get Democrats elected both local and statewide. However, I am on a very tight budget and cannot afford the admission fee right now so I would really appreciate a scholarship! Thanks!
What do you hope to get out of the training?
I hope to learn new ideas and strategies in this seminar so I can use them to help get Democrats elected both locally and statewide. 2010 will be a very important election year in Alabama and I want to be the best campaign volunteer/staffer/etc. that I can be!
Click here to sponsor Chad!
These are just a few of the activists who have applied for DFA training scholarship. Click here to view them all. If you'd like to sign up to attend one of our trainings yourself you can view our entire 2009 training schedule by clicking here.