SIWWM, DORCS and Young Dems host an unusually effective way to get to know our candidates.
By Tommy Blancero, President, and KC Hanks, Vice President.
On February 12, the Young Democrats of Richmond County joined The Democratic Organization of Richmond County and the Staten Island Women Who March to organize a genuinely innovative political gathering for the community. Constituents had the opportunity to meet Congressional candidates in a unique and personal way that strayed from the familiar format of the conventional forum. Instead of the traditional candidate forum, constituents were able to have up close and personal conversations with the candidates that removed the pressure of all opponents on one stage.
Collaboration
Each of the organizations was at different stages of personal expansion. Whereas the members of DORC were grounded in their years of established involvement in Staten Island political circles, the newly formed group of SIWMM were spreading like wildfire. Members of SIWMM sparked the concept of the Speed Dating Candidate Forum and fanned the flames of its development using their diverse and fresh perspectives on political discourse. As the Young Democrats, we were honored to have been invited to join these two groups to help develop and execute such an awesome event.
We were so privileged to be under the guidance of educated, accomplished, and incredible women who nurtured our passions and honed our desire to be young leaders in the progressive politics on Staten Island. The evening brought together curious neighbors, community leaders, and interested future voters eager to learn more about these candidates.
The Young Dems learned a lot about event planning and political discourse, and we are looking forward to working with the community to put on many more events like this one in the future!
-By Tommy and KC
-All photos by Kyle O'Leary tkocreative http://tkocreative.me