Reflection on the Organize for Democracy Program: Deming Rohlfs
Blue Future teamed up with Grassroots Democrats HQ to create a compensated program to train young people in virtual organizing, which we called Organize for Democracy. At the conclusion of the program, we asked our wonderful participants to write a reflection on their time in the program.
Blue Future’s Organize for Democracy Leadership Program has been incredibly important to my development as an organizer. Through the program, I have gained the confidence needed to recruit others, received weekly leadership training, and gained a clearer vision of how I can make an impact on U.S. politics in my future career.
The weekly trainings have given me the practical skills needed to be a more effective organizer and advocate for democracy. I learned skills directly relevant to my work as a virtual organizer- such as how to best connect with voters solely over the phone- and to wider organizing- such as motivating others to work on causes they believe in. With the incredible support of the Blue Future team and my fellow volunteers within the program, each training was engaging, informative, and easily applied to my future work.
Volunteering each week built my confidence as a future organizer and made me excited to continue in progressive activism in the future. Though I did not speak to many people, I was able to connect deeply with those I did speak to, helping to inspire them to participate in our democracy and get their friends and families to do the same. Knowing I was making even the smallest of differences inspired me, and it is a lesson I will keep with me long after this program.
Finally, this program has given me insight into a future career in progressive organizing. As I attend university outside the U.S., it is often hard to see how I will continue my passion for improving U.S. democracy. This program has shown me the various avenues for organizing and outreach that can now be completed virtually and from abroad- motivating me to seek further opportunities to do this good work in the future.
