This weekend, Camp Wellstone is coming to campus! What is Camp Wellstone?
According to wellstone.org, "Campus Camp Wellstone trains students nationwide on how to run energized, community building, winningcampaigns. We focus on campus and community organizing and young voter engagement."
Last year at this time, around November 2008, Stanford was in the midst of a upswell of political engagement and activism, and the country was about to elect its new leader. One year later, there's still work to be done (as we follow the #VoteNoOn1 hash tag tonight), as thought leaders, activists and organizers. Stanford, here's your chance to organize as organizers!
Email stanfordcampwellstone@googlegroups.com to RSVP and get more info!
Email fwd to follow:
On November 7th, between 11 am and 6pm, four professional community organizers and active members in grassroots movements from across the nation will come to Stanford to run a workshop, training students here in a toolset invaluable to the undertakings of any VSO, the ASSU Executive Cabinet, and the ASSU Senate.
Students oftentimes are already utilizing these tools (membership recruitment, retainment, development; campaign/philosophy messaging, outreach, education; intra-group dynamics, development, innovation; etc), but this will make students conscious of doing so, making it possible to hone these tools and skills. It will create a common language amongst the VSOs and branches of the ASSU, making collaboration easier.
In particular, this presents an opportunity for the ASSU I haven't seen yet: a training that brings the members together as a unit. Up until now, many of the members now sitting in senator positions have previous experience as leaders within a VSO on campus, and are so seen as "not needing" any further training. But this is not a given. And beyond that, it shouldn't be. Students need to go through a training as an ASSU member. It's a subtle difference (mostly on a subconscious level), but it will empower the ASSU, which functions as one of the largest grassroots organizing bodies on campus.
Here is a quick background on Wellstone Action from their website:
Wellstone Action is a national center for training and leadership development in the progressive movement. Founded in January 2003, Wellstone Action's mission is to honor the legacy of Paul and Sheila Wellstone by training, educating, mobilizing and organizing a vast network of progressive individuals and organizations to engage in their tradition of politics. Campus Camp Wellstone trains students nationwide on how to run energized, community building, winning campaigns. We focus on campus and community organizing and young voter engagement.Here is a description of their Camp Wellstone project: http://wellstone.org/our-programs/campus-camp-wellstone.
I have been in contact with the trainers, and they are excited about coming and generating an enthusiastic kickoff for all our groups for the academic year 09/10!
Email stanfordcampwellstone@googlegroups.com to RSVP.