Reflections on Organize for Democracy: Sophie Bresnicky

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 3 of our wonderful participants to write a reflection on their time in the program.

April 21, 2022

For the past eight weeks, I have had the opportunity to be part of Blue Future’s Organize for Democracy Leadership Program, where I joined a team of organizers from across the country to phone and text bank in coordination with competitive campaigns for the House and Senate. Additionally, I got to attend weekly leadership training workshops and one-on-one mentoring to foster my professional development. Being part of this incredible team has been an extremely enriching experience for countless reasons.

Firstly, there were so many unique individuals in the program that I was able to speak to; Organize for Democracy was composed 79% by women, 79% by people of color, 41% by LGBTQ+ individuals, and individuals from 21 different states, so it was an immensely diverse program. Whether it was one-on-one in breakout rooms or during large group discussions, I was able to hear so many different perspectives and experiences, and I am grateful for all I have been able to learn from this team.

This program also taught me so many skills in the realm of grassroots organizing. I learned about all types of organizing like phone banking, text banking, and canvassing and got to actually make a difference by participating in weekly phone banks. Being able to learn these skills and then apply them and make changes in crucial races has been super exciting, and I am eager to continue in the future.

Finally, this program equipped me with numerous tools and resources that will help me tremendously in my professional life. For example, we got to partake in individual mentoring sessions with our Community Engagement Directors as well as participate in resume and cover letter workshops. I will definitely use what I learned here when applying to different positions in the future. Overall, I am so grateful for my time in this program, and I am so excited to see how the skills I have mastered will help me in future endeavors.

Sophie Bresnicky is a sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill, where she is double majoring in Political Science and Global Studies and minoring in Entrepeneurship.