Partnership with GLI: Girl Scouts of Greater New York:
January- February 2020
As one of the program partners for the Girl Scouts of Greater New York's Girls' leadership Institute, Dare to Run had instructors come and teach an adaptation of their program for the public advocacy track for girls ages 14-18. For 5 weeks, the girls developed their campaign teams and put together group presentations for their final projects to be presented in May.
Week #1: Foundations of Your Campaign: January 18, 2020
Dare to Run Founder and President Rachelle Suissa instructs students on Foundations of Your Campaign, which includes a review of the literature surrounding theories about why women choose to run for office, the challenges women candidates face as a result of fundraising, stereotyping, and agenda setting by the media, and introduction to the different roles in local and state campaigns and how they are formed.
Week #2: Branding and Messaging: January 25, 2020
Dare to Run Student Giselle Burgess instructs students on how to effectively brand themselves as candidates for public office. Branding is a big part of your campaign and lays the foundation for who you become once you've been elected to public office. Students also heard from Amoy Barnes, who is currently running for City Council for the 49th district in Staten Island. Amoy shared tips about how to effectively brand yourself as a candidate, and what different segments of the electorate look for.
Week #3: Digital Advertising and Technology in Campaigns: February 1, 2020
Dare to Run Instructor Joan Pelzer discussed the importance of social media in candidate's campaigns, including which platforms can be used to address which segments of the electorate, how to use (and not use) photos to your advantage on the campaign trail, and how to transition from personal to campaign based page on social medias while still retaining a decent following.
Week #4: Public Policy and Advocacy 101: February 8, 2020
Dare to Run Instructor Dominique Claire Shuminova discussed the importance of public policy and advocacy when you become a candidate for public office. Dominique introduced students to real, current policy issues in New York City and State that may become relevant to their own campaigns and illustrate skill-building instruction with different candidates’ and elected officials’ approaches to them. Sessions included some separate group work for participants considering campaigns driven primarily by a specific policy issue.
Week #5: Why Women Can Make a Difference: February 15, 2020
Dare to Run Instructors Vanessa Aronson and Edda Santiago rounded out the final week of teaching by discussing how women can make a difference at all levels of government when they run for public office. Invariably, women candidates alter the conservation about policy issues, particularly those surrounding women and families. Women's representation in government continues to remain steady at 21%-24% across state and local offices; Vanessa and Edda discussed what methods can be used to increase their representation at all levels of government.
Presentation of Final Projects: February 29, 2020
On February 29, 2020, participants presented their final team projects, which demonstrated a synthesis of all five weeks of seminars on the public policy track. Students had formed their campaign teams, assigned each member of the group a particular role with typical campaign responsibilities, and presented their final PowerPoints to returning instructors. Instructors were so proud of these young ladies and worked with them to put the finishing touches on their projects.
