It’s Getting Hot In Here

On Wednesday night, I got to hear firsthand how electoral organizing is actually a great excuse to showcase our victories, build youth power, and have FUN. After a month full of one-on-one dialogue, planning, and statewide conversations, leaders from around the country, from Arkansas to Florida to Missouri to Massachusetts, joined one another on the phone and over the interwebs (via our online chat room), to share how we can ROCK THE VOTE this fall!

First, we got a rousing warm-up from Ben Wessel, who’s been working hard on the Race to Replace in Vermont (more on that later )- we celebrated the Cape Wind victory, called on our Southern politicians for leadership, and cheered on the potential for the clean energy to be the new economic driver in the Midwest!

Next, we heard from a handful of leaders who laid out how they’re going to MAKE CHANGE and ENGAGE OUR GENERATION this fall and have a really good time while they’re at it!

• Ben shared his plan for the Race to Replace- which is about saying goodbye to dirty nuclear and hello to 100% clean electricity, 100+ bikers, lobbying in Montpelier, potlucks in Burlington with UVM students, concerts, partnerships with utilities, and politicians getting behind our vision! Check out his video here.
• Erika Zarowin in Ohio also told us about Making Green a Primary Color, which will build off the groundwork laid during Ohio Power Shift, bringing youth climate demands to the forefront of the Ohio Congressional Primary.
• There are so many other good stories and ideas to take from nearly twenty states working to make this fall about SAYING YES TO WIND and clean energy, NO TO COAL and dirty fuel, and PUTTING THE POWER IN THE HANDS OF THE YOUTH! You can check out these plans and more on our Build Our Electoral Campaign Page.

After hearing all the excitement and visions of state and local leaders around the country, we took it to the next level to discuss with one another: common themes and messaging to share, resources and tools that we could collaborate on developing, and  how we can continue to support one another between campuses, communities, and across state lines! Lots of sweet ideas that came out of that, and I’m excited to see them taken to the next level!

• This fall is about showing our politicians how the green economy will create jobs in each state, to spotlight that young people are tired of waiting and are leading!
• Students from newly emerging state networks expressed interest in strengthening ties with neighboring states with strong networks, to share that wealth of knowledge and experience in getting started. Involved in a state network? Help us continue strengthening and supporting our own and one another’s networks by filling out this Needs Assessment.
• Many leaders expressed interest in having regional conversations to share ideas, offer best practices, and identify opportunities for collaboration. Massachusetts is already planning an end-of-summer retreat to amp up for the fall and even strengthen the ties of leaders across the Northeast as they push together for true leadership: 100% clean electricity by 2020!
• Lots of leaders brought up the importance of TRAININGS for building a team, getting media, pressuring our politicians, and on a variety of other creative topics. Trainings via video, phone, downloadable online, and in-person at the end-of-summer training in Chicago: Can you dig it?

Are you excited yet? What are two incredible ways we can get to work to build the green economy and demonstrate solutions, meet and work with leaders from around the country, get world-class trainings, and prepare to make this fall about VICTORY?

Need a summer gig? Share your talents, make friends, make change: sign up for a Summer Project online by May 4^th: Change-makers in Oregon, Michigan, New England, Virginia, Utah, Texas, Minnesota, DC, and West Virginia are ready for you to join them!

Can’t commit to a whole summer? Committing, and still want more? Join us from August 4-8^th for a spectacular Summer Training Program: we’ll come together in Chicago, where the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization and other partners are working to transition their communities away from dirty energy by replacing two old and dirty coal plants with clean energy and green jobs. We’ll spend the first couple of days learning critical leadership and campaigning skills, and then we’ll put them to use organizing a community festival and coal plant action to launch our campaign.

We’ll all leave Chicago trained and ready to take the action back to our own communities and campuses! Sign up to receive priority by May 16^th!

Interested in getting more involved in these conversations, starting your own, or learning more? Please shoot me an email: caroline [at] energyaction dot net

I’d love to talk! And I hope you’ll join future conversations about how this fall the key words are FUN and VICTORY.

This post is a part of a series of posts about Defining Our Decade and building collaborative campaigns from the ground up to do it!  Check out previous posts to get caught up on the conversation!