I’ve recently added some new members whom I’d like to introduce to you tonight using their biographies here at the site, and in addition, showcasing the team that has been in place for three years.
But first, some background.
In March of 2013, Markos announced the formation of Partners & Mentors, a welcoming committee to encourage people taking their first steps into greater political engagement here.
This group will greet new contributors to the site, helping them feel wanted and at home. They will be a resource of information and answer questions when asked. They will work to make this a more pleasant experience for new users. [...]
I'm super excited about this, and look forward to seeing something like BiPM's Kiddie Pool open-arm ethos expanded site-wide. Hopefully the rest of you will join the Partners & Mentors team in helping new users feel welcome.
Our group's mission is to welcome and provide orientation to new users who are likely to contribute to the greater good at Daily Kos, building community.
You’ll likely see our welcome message around and about.
We’ve processed over 30,000 first comments since 2013.
Here’s our volunteer team.
New Additions:
TrueBlueMajority: I am a spiritual activist: a faithful Christian, a lifelong liberal, and a proud Democrat. I love the sound of ocean waves and Autumn is my favorite season. I enjoy writing, word games, sudoku, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Hamilton. Current organizer for The Grieving Room group, a Monday evening series for those who are experiencing grief or loss.
~Sig Line: Politics is like driving. To go backward put it in R. To go forward put it in D. "If it ain't about Love, it ain't about God!" ++Michael B. Curry
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Jon Sitzman: 46 year old lover of life, my wife and my companion animals. Also video games, martial arts, and symphonic power metal. And food. I love food ENTIRELY too much! Also a neophyte student of politics. Thanks for reading!
~Sig LIne: We cannot change the world without changing ourselves to be more selfless, more forgiving, more tolerant, and more joyful; and especially without seeing that the more grim we are, the less light passes through us. - thousand faces
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Wee Mama: Cell biologist, biochem professor, Episcopal priest for a small congregation. Grateful for Tall Papa and our two children. Herb and flower gardener, occasional poet and VFR pilot. Member of Partners & Mentors; we help welcome new commenters to Daily Kos.
~Sig Line: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? . . . and respect the dignity of every human being.
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Second Phase Team:
peregrine kate: Daily Kos Staff , Community Support Associate — A lifelong resident of Michigan, mostly in or near Detroit. Founded the Monday Night Cancer Club in 2011 and Motor City Kossacks in 2012. She is the co-chair of her county’s Democratic Party Precinct Organizing Committee and a member of the county party Executive Board. Extended bio here.
~Sig Line: Kosmail me if you'd like information about the Motor City Kossacks
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Steven Payne: Daily Kos Contributing Editor — Raised in a small Midwestern town where minds were as narrow as the country roads surrounding it, Steven came to the realization that he was gay at the same time his classmates were discovering their own sexuality. Closets ran deep in his neck of the woods. When he finally busted through his at the age of 17, he did so with a liberal vengeance. Steven attended Illinois Wesleyan University as a piano performance major until, in his third year, he came to the sober realization that the world be just fine without ever hearing his interpretation of Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto. Extended bio here. (Sunday Writer for Connect! Unite! Act!)
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FogCityJohn: Gay by orientation, lawyer by profession, San Francisco resident by choice, and HIV+ by . . . well, you know. As a member of the DK Partners & Mentors team, I help welcome new users to the site.
~Sig Line: "Ça c'est une chanson que j'aurais vraiment aimé ne pas avoir écrite." -- Barbara
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Charter Member Team, in place since 2013:
catilinus: From the destruction of Catiline's army...to the Crusades & genocides from the 16th-20 Centuries...some of us have kept our sense of humor even as Global Empire becomes Global Parody. I say that as an un-recalcitrant member of Partners & Mentors. (Saturday Writer for Connect! Unite! Act!)
~Sig Line: It will never happen for the first time until it does.
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smileycreek: ... who actually lives on Smiley Creek, in the foothills of northern California's Sierras. In other words, the sticks. (Manages Welcome New Users for our team and is a Friday Writer for Connect! Unite! Act!)
~Sig Line: I firmly believe that no matter the epoch, no matter the continent, no matter the country, 20% of any population is just barking mad.
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paradise50: I grew up in America during a time when it worked. I worked, put myself through school, started a business and made a living. I was blessed and didn't even know it. I still believe in the dream and work towards getting back what was normal. (Thursday Writer for Connect! Unite! Act!)
~Sig Line: Ignorance is bliss only for the ignorant. The rest of us must suffer the consequences. -7.38; -3.44
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belinda ridgewood: I write reinsurance software for money, and for fun, I sing women's a cappella, build community theater props, and make soup and sandwiches for a soup kitchen. Like many kossacks, I came for the political news and stayed for the community.
~Sig Line: Shop Kos Katalogue ❧ Help The Inoculation Project.
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BeninSC: Southeastern LIBERAL & PROUD of it! Public sector employee. Cyclist. Happy P&M team member! Top Comments on Daily Kos is my blog home. Love political philosophy and arguments that work. Framing, language, creativity! Spirit! Heart, above all!
~Sig Line: "The opposite of war isn't peace, it's CREATION." - Jonathan Larson, RENT -9.62, -9.13
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Backup Singer:
a gilas girl
Charter Organizing Support:
nomandates
Daily Kos Staff Advisers:
elfling: Daily Kos Staff , Systems Specialist — When the World Wide Web emerged as the world's next platform, she helped found one of the first companies to build Web applications, back in the days when the first half of the sale was explaining what the internet was. Since then, she has come to love the power of databases and information technology as tools to help people communicate, problem-solve, and share information. She brings a firm philosophy to any project that technology is made to serve people, not vice-versa. Extended bio here.
~Sig Line: Fry, don't be a hero! It's not covered by our health plan!
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Meteor Blades: Daily Kos Staff , Senior Political Writer — 13-year Front Page veteran and politically active since 1964 when he participated in voter registration in Mississippi with the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee in Freedom Summer. He was involved as an organizer in Students for a Democratic Society and, for 16 years, as a member of the American Indian Movement. He was incarcerated at the Industrial School for Boys in Golden, Colorado, for 23 months and spent 13 months at a federal prison camp for refusing the draft. A long-time journalist in both alternative and mainstream media, in addition to fighting for racial justice, he has been an activist for reproductive rights, anti-interventionist foreign policy and climate action. Extended bio here:
~Sig Line: Don't tell me what you believe, show me what you do and I will tell you what you believe.
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Diarist:
Neeta Lind aka navajo, Daily Kos Staff, Director of Community — Neeta is responsible for developing projects to maximize the political effectiveness of our most valuable resource, the Daily Kos Community. She promotes the participation of Daily Kos users by creating and supervising various communities and community activities in order to build their engagement and participation on and offline. Extended bio here.
~Sig Line: Buy a Daily Kos T-shirt for your next meet-up!
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Please join me in thanking these fantastic volunteers for their many hours they spend reading the site and
Building Community!