Campaign 101

Friday, July 23, 2004

Campaign 101 at DemocracyFest

Campaign 101 founder Shaula Evans will be representing Campaign 101 this weekend at a panel discussion on engaging young people in grassroots politics at DemocracyFest.

The Campaign 101 team is eager to share our experiences with other people working with youth in politics and we are excited to participate in DemocracyFest this weekend.

Look for updates next week!

Campaig 101 Launches Alumni Blog

The 2004 class alumni of Campaign 101 are launching our own blog, C101, at http://c101.blogspot.com.

Our goals are:
  • to educate each other and our peers about the political issues we are passionate about and that effect us
  • to create a forum where young people can express our views on politics and policy
  • to provide a tool for dialogue between young people and the political establishment in Virginia


  • The many friends and supporters of Campaign 101 are welcome to add their comments to our blog.

    We look forward to hearing from you!

    Grassroots Success Story

    Campaign 101 started off in February 2004 as a team of 7 students, 1 adult, and the goal of getting more students involved in progressive, grassroots politics in Virginia.

    We decided to work together to set up a weekend of intensive workshops to train other student activists how to organize. We teamed up with a professional political group that promised to arrange speakers and handle our finances while we provided the research and sweat equity for a weekend student training. Unfortunately, our partner withdrew in June, leaving us just over a month to completely rebuild our program from the ground up, including designing a new website, raising new funds, and doing all of our publicity and promotions from scratch.

    To bootstrap the project, we turned to the fundamentals of retail politics. We reached out to democrats and progressive political groups across the state to ask for help, including NOW, the NAACP, and the Virginia Education Association. With an operating budget of zero we sent email after email (because it is free), and followed up with phone calls (because they are effective), to hundreds of students, teachers, elected officials, and political activists. We recruited at local Democratic meetings, at MeetUps, and at theatres showing Fahrenheit 9/11. And we kept the press informed every step of the way.

    The local branch of the VEA offered us their space to use for free. The Fairfax Young Democrats handled the money for us so we wouldn’t have to form a PAC. Local elected officials, from the school board up to the Virginia Senate Minority Leader, and the Chairman of the Virginia State Party generously offered their time, on extremely short notice, to address the students, and Congressman Jim Moran saved the project with his generous financial contribution. Local Democrats donated meals and materials, and professional political operatives from Northern Virginia and DC stepped up to speak for free and also to use their personal connections to help us find other trainers. The training itself became an exercise in the kind of coalition-building, creative thinking, and community activism that grassroots politics at its best is all about.

    The training, on July 10 & 11, was a success beyond what we ever imagined back in February. The alumni are now working together on a collaborative blog, http://c101.blogspot.com, to discuss policy and politics from a youth activist perspective, as well as organizing “The George W. Bush Farwell Tour,” a concert/rally/voter registration drive in August. And, we are all making plans for how we can get more students involved when we go back to school.

    I’ll be speaking on a panel about youth activism at DemocracyFest this weekend representing Campaign 101, and we hope our experience and the lessons we’ve learned can help support other student organizers around the country.

    We will continue to maintain the Campaign 101 website to publicize the ongoing projects of the Campaign 101 Alumni.

    Campaign 101 Thanks our Presenters!

    Campaign 101 thanks the generous Democrats who gave us their scarce free time to address our participants.

    Opening Guest Speaker
    Delegate Ken Plum

    Targetting
    Mr. Luke Peterson
    American Federation of Teachers

    Campaign Planning
    Mr. Dave McGonagle
    Deputy Training Director, Emily's List

    Saturday Lunch Guest Speaker
    Delegate Viola Baskerville

    GOTV
    Mr. John Miyasato
    President, Crossroads Consulting

    Direct Voter Contact & Campaign Invasions:
    Ms. Denise Ferriozi
    Recruiter, Campaign Corps

    Absentee Ballots & Direct Voter Contact:
    Mr. John Harold
    Registrar, City of Fairfax

    Fundraising:
    Ms. Shayna Englin
    Englin, Inc.

    Virginia Young Democrats:
    Mr. Dominic Gabello
    National Committeeman, Virginia Young Democrats

    Dinner Guest Speaker:
    Senator Richard Saslaw
    Virginia Senate Minority Leader

    Sunday Breakfast Guest Speaker:
    Delegate Steve Shannon

    Communications:
    Mr. David Englin
    Ripple of Hope

    Special Guest Speaker:
    Congressman Jim Moran

    Volunteer Management:
    Mr. Chris Miller
    Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee

    Lunch Guest Speaker:
    Mr. Kerry Donley
    Chairman, Democratic Party of Virginia

    Special Guest Speaker:
    Ms. Barbara Allen
    President, Fairfax Education Association

    Special Guest Speaker:
    Delegate Chap Petersen

    Special Guest Speaker:
    Mr. Jay Myerson
    General Counsel to the Democratic Party of Virginia

    Campaign 101 Thanks our Job Fair Participants!

    Campaign 101 would like, belatedly but from the heart, to thank the participants at our July 11 Volunteer/Internship Job Fair.

    Mr. Frank Blechman
    representing The Virginia Organizing Project

    Braddock District Supervisor Sharon Bulova

    Ms. Marion Forsyth
    representing Mr. Greg Werkheiser of Werk PAC

    Mr. Matt Harrison
    representing Matt Harrison for Delegate 2005

    Ms. Connie Houson
    representing Delegate Steve Shannon

    Mr. Kevin Hyde
    representing Delegate Mark Sickles

    Mr. Nick Kessler
    representing Tim Kaine for Governor 2005

    Ms. Jackie Menefee
    representing Menefee for Congress

    Delegate Chap Petersen
    representing Chap Petersen for Lt. Governor




    Friday, July 09, 2004

    Can I register at the door?

    Absolutely! You are WELCOME to participate in Campaign 101 and register at the door.

    Just show up at the Fairfax Education Association this weekend. The address is 3917 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22030 and you can find a map here.

    We'll be there from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on Saturday and 9 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

    You can pay at the door. The cost is $50 for both days or $25 for just one day. Make your checks payable to the Fairfax Young Democrats.

    If you still have questions, call 703-380-6533.

    We look forward to seeing you!

    Thursday, July 08, 2004

    Yes, we have room for you!

    Thanks to our new location at the Fairfax Education Association office, we still have some spaces available for participants.

    You can register online here.

    The cost is just $50 for two-days of intensive, progressive campaign training, including 5 meals, training materials, and the Campaign 101 Volunteer/Intern Job Fair, or $25 for just one day. Please make checks payable to the Fairfax Young Democrats.

    And, we are happy to coordinate free homestays for our out-of-town students.

    If you have questions or would like information, please contact us as soon as possible.

    See you on Saturday!

    Spirit of Campaign 101

    We are holding a Spirit of Campaign 101 Photography Contest for the photograph that best captures the real spirit of Campaign 101. Please bring your cameras and try to get the best candid picture. We'll send participants details after the training on how to submit your pictures.

    We would also like to record the training session on video and audio, to use as a future training tool in school clubs. If you can help us with recording, or know someone who can, let us know.

    Campaign 101 in the news...Again!

    Check out the GREAT story in the Vienna Connection that hits newsstands today:

    Campaign 101: Experiencing the Political Process
    Steve Evans
    July 7, 2004

    High-school students often participate in grass-roots political campaigns, but rarely have they taught others how to run them — that is, until Campaign 101.

    Read more here.

    Campaign 101 Grand Finale

    The Campaign 101 Grand Finale will be...a phone banking party through MoveOn PAC!

    We're going to register voters in one of the important "battleground" states that will decide the election. It'll be fun - and a powerful way to help defeat George W. Bush.

    The Phone Bank party is for all of the Campaign 101 participants. If you go to this link and register for the phone bank, it will help us file our follow-up report afterwards with MoveOn:

    http://action.moveonpac.org/phone/selectmtg.html?event_ids=154825

    Here are the details:

    Campaign 101 Phone Bank
    Fairfax Education Association Office / 3917 Old Lee Highway
    Fairfax, VA 22030
    Sunday, July 11, 04:00 PM to 5:00 PM

    We'll have a list of unregistered voters to call, and scripts to read when we're on the phone. Afterwards, we'll send a helpful kit to anyone who tells us they'd like to register to vote, and follow up to make sure they do. This has been shown to be a very effective way to register voters - and there's never been a more important time to boost registration than in the lead-up to this November's election!

    Since we'll be spending a good deal of the time at the party on the phone, it's important that you bring your own cell phone if you can. We'll try to have a few extra on hand in case you can't bring one. But lists of folks to call, scripts of what to say, and good company will be provided.

    Time for us to roll up our sleeves!


    Campaign 101 Schedule

    Saturday, July 10

  • 08:30 – 09:00 Check-in

  • 09:00 – 09:50 Opening Remarks

  • 10:00 – 10:50 Voter File & Targetting

  • 11:00 – 11:50 Campaign Planning / Project Management

  • 12:00 – 01:30 Lunch with Special Guest Speaker Delegate Viola Baskerville

  • 01:30 – 02:20 Get Out the Vote

  • 02:30 – 03:20 Direct Voter Contact & Campaign Invasions

  • 03:30 – 04:20 Voter Registration & Absentee Ballot Drives

  • 04:30 – 05:20 Political Fundraising

  • 05:30 – 06:30 Virginia Young Democrats & the 2004 VYD Campaign

  • 06:30 - 06:45 Overview of Case Studies

  • 06:45 – 09:00 Dinner plus Case Study teams


  • Sunday, July 11

  • 09:00 – 10:00 Breakfast with Special Guest Speaker Delegate Steve Shannon

  • 10:10 – 11:00 Political Communications

  • 11:10 – 12:00 Special Guest Speaker Congressman Jim Moran

  • 12:10 – 01:30 Member Recruitment and Volunteer Management

  • 01:40 – 02:30 Lunch with Special Guest Speaker Kerry Donley, Virginia Democratic Party Chair

  • 02:30 – 03:00 Campaign 101 Alumni Network Resources

  • 03:00 – 04:00 Volunteer/Internship Job Fair

  • 04:00 – 05:00 Campaign 101 Phone Bank


  • Please note that the schedule is subject to change.

    Information for Participants

    Some handy information before you leave home...

    Location: Campaign 101 takes place at the Fairfax Education Association, located at 3917 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22030. We are happy to send you a map or directions by email.

    Registration Fee: The registration fee is $50. Please make checks payable to the "Fairfax Young Democrats," who are graciously handling the finances on the project for us.

    Schedule: Check in is from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 10. Workshops run from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Sunday. The Campaign 101 Volunteer/Intern Job Fair takes place 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 10. There will be a final Campaign 101 Phone Bank to register new voters from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

    Parking: Parking is available on site, free of charge.

    Meals: The training fee includes a light breakfast on Saturday & Sunday; lunch and dinner on Saturday, and lunch on Sunday. Meals and snacks will be offered college cafeteria style and will be provided for the entire training. Vegetarian options will be available. Any student with other special dietary needs should contact shaulaevans@comcast.net before 5:00 on Friday.

    Packing List

    Items you need to bring
    ° Comfortable clothes. These will be long days that approximate the grind of a campaign – jeans or sweats are fine. Don’t for get your pyjamas if you are in a homestay!
    ° A notebook, pens and pencils
    ° Calculator
    ° Cell phone if you can bring one.
    ° Lawn chair if you can bring one – so we can “take class outside” on Sunday if the weather is good.

    Items you might want to have
    ° Alarm clock
    ° Water bottle

    Campaign 101 Job Fair Update

    More great Democrats and progressives are joining us for the Campaign 101 Volunteer/Internship Job Fair, including:

  • Tim Kaine for Governor

  • Congressman Jim Moran

  • Al Weed for Congress

  • Jonathan Menefee for Congress

  • Delegate Steve Shannon

  • Delegate Chap Peterson

  • Delegate Mark Sickles

  • Matt Harrison for Delegate

  • Braddock District Supervisor Sharon Bulova

  • Fairfax County School Board At-Large Member Janet Oleszek

  • America Coming Together

  • The Virginia Organizing Project



  • Please note that in some cases campaigns are sending staff representatives where the candidate is not able to join us in person.

    The goal of the Campaign 101 Volunteer/Internship Job Fair is to introduce Democratic candidates (or campaign representatives) to our graduates who will be “grass tops” youth coordinators to promote their campaigns and facilitate arranging canvasses, voter registration drives, campaign invasions, etc.

    We encourage campaigns to bring bumper stickers, pins, and any other visibility materials that they may wish to distribute to our participants.

    If you are a Democratic Candidate or Organization that would like to participate in the Campaign 101 Job Fair, please contact us.

    Originally Posted 2004/06/30.
    Updated and Reposted 2004/07/08 SE.