Urban Youth Initiative - Next Stop Chicago

We just came back from another Urban Youth Initiative training which took place on the south side of Chicago. The two day training was held in Jessie Jackson Jr.’s congressional district (IL-2) on East 95th Street.



The training was in concert with both Congressman Jackson and Alderman Sandi Jackson. The Jackson’s have a commitment towards educating community members in the nuts and bolts of politics for one simple reason: they both believe that real change can come from winning local elections. The purpose of the training was to begin a several-step process of sharing information about how campaigns work. We covered topics such as targeting, voter contact strategies, canvassing and Get-Out-The-Vote programs.

Our aim as trainers is to bring these somewhat esoteric subjects to interested people who are engaged in their communities and want to make social change through politics. In short, we use plain language to describe what are basically, sequential, common sense steps everyone can take to their place in the political world. We have put together a 129 page campaign booklet (edited by Wendy Davis, our National Training Director) that is quite good. If you are interested in getting a copy let me know, and we will mail one to you.



I want to thank both Congressman Jackson and his wife Alderman Jackson for the hospitality they showed to us this weekend. We also have a special thanks for Ben Lenet who organized the event and encouraged the community to attend. Finally, we want to thank the 70 some people that gave us either all or some of their weekend to learn about practical politics. You are the future and we’re privileged to have spent time with you. Enjoy the pictures!


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.