Unity Slate Platform
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Ryan Davis and the High School Unity Slate Present
THE SOLUTION Our Platform to Fix and Expand the High School Caucus
www.RyanforChair.com
1
What is this? This plan is laid out in three stages. The first is “The Problem,” here we will describe what is wrong with the High School Caucus today. Second is “The Solution,” here we will delve into fixing the problems of the High School Caucus. Finally, there is “The Future,” here we will report on how we will expand and further the High School Caucus after the initial problems are fixed. This plan is not meant to indict anyone of mismanagement, but rather identify how to fix the current problems with the High School Caucus.
Who are you? We are a group of diverse students from all around the country with a unique mission: to solve the problems of the High School Caucus, and expand it in the future. We have freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, with a diverse set of backgrounds and diverse set of expertise. Our immense experiences range from Ryan Davis who raised over $5500 for his local high school chapter to Tim Hwang who is the CEO of Operation Fly, Inc. a non-profit which works to help homeless people in urban areas. These people are leaders in their
2
communities, leaders in their parties, and, with your support, leaders of the High School Caucus.
“The Problem” So What is the Problem with the High School Caucus? There are millions of students in high school all throughout the country. Assuming at least a third of these students are Democrats, we can see that the potential for the high school caucus is truly limitless. But before we can reach new heights, we must first build a strong foundation. Today the High School Caucus remains a fractured organization that has some active state organizations but many inactive states. This is due mostly to what we will call the “resume mentality.” This mentality is what emerges when people take on these large leadership positions within the High School Democrats merely to bolster their college resume. This is the reason why there are
3
states which have had leaders for years but have literally not added a single new chapter. This mentality must end.
What is the Result of This? This problem leads to many serious negative consequences within our organization. It leads to stagnant state and regional organizations that do little in working to build new chapters. High school chapters are the foundation of our caucus and without them there is no reason to exist. This is especially shocking when viewed in light of the Students for Barack Obama high school campaign. SFBO successfully recruited hundreds and hundreds of high school chapters within a few short months. In New Jersey alone, SFBO recruited over 35 new high school chapters between August and November.
“The Solution” What is the Solution? The solution revolves around one keyword: accountability. This has been severely lacking within the High School Democrats of America. Instead of working with states to get rid of incompetent state leaders, and impeaching inactive executive board members, these people have been allowed to remain stagnant. Being a leader in this organization should mean a serious, ongoing time commitment. With this in mind, our slate will institute a new rule, if you do not show progress, we will immediately warn you, and if you 4
do not correct your actions, we will either impeach you or work with your state to find a new leader.
As the problem revolves around a lack of accountability within the organization, there is an inherent need to overhaul existing reporting structures and organization in order to ensure efficiency and long term organizational development. This would require a regular reporting system from the state to national and as well as a fully functioning and helpful evaluation system from the national to the state. Furthermore, a day-to-day bureaucracy and volunteer staff must be set in place by allowing members relative mobility throughout the year as well as day-to-day tasks given not only by the national chair or the executive director but by all members of the national committee. A central infrastructure and information system has to be set in place to be able to sustain expansion and ensure accountability. Finally, there must be regularly scheduled Strategic Planning sessions by the Executive Board for a regular reevaluation of all structures, programs, and initiatives in order to ensure that the organization continues to grow internally, to ensure that it is in check with its political and economic environment, and to cut all unnecessary and inefficient programs.
What effect will this have? This will have the immediate effect of jumpstarting progress towards our real goal: new chapter creation. Once people see that the new administration is 5
focused completely on making solid the foundation of our organization, we will begin to see real progress towards creating vibrant high school caucuses in all of our states. Only once this foundation is in place can we look to expand and create new programs for the states to enact.
“The Future” What do you mean ‘The Future’? Chapter building must always be the core of the High School Democrats, but once we are on our way to sustainable growth, we have to work to expand and modernize our organization. The following are ways in which we will expand and modernize.
Nationally Integrated Website Today, there is no real way for all of the various state organizations to communicate together and to the national leadership. This can be corrected with the creation of a new dynamic website. An idea that has emerged from the California High School Democrats, is to create a website where each 6
state will have their own subsection (e.g. NJ.hsdems.org), and then each chapter have a website within that (e.g. NJ.hsdems.org/WalterHS). This would allow instant communication between states, a difficult accomplishment. Furthermore, it would allow for new chapters to instantly register online, and give state leaders a powerful tool to connect with their chapters.
Expansion Goals The High School Caucus is the most important caucus within the YDA. In our caucus, the future leaders of the YDA are given a voice. With that in mind, it is imperative that every state with a Young Democrats of America chapter also have a High School Democrats of America. By the end of our term, we will make sure that every state with a YDA chapter either has a High School Caucus, or is on the path to founding one. High School Leadership Academy Many teen organizations, such as the Junior Statesmen of America and the Teenage Republicans, hold summer conferences that promote leadership. Why can't the High School Democrats of America hold a similar week-long summer conference? We believe we can and we must. We will work to create this annual event that will help make our organization stronger. We will host keynote speakers and provide various trainings and workshops on how to be not only a better Democrat, but a better leader as well. Summer events such as this will be our first step in expanding the reach of the High School Caucus. 7
YDA Affordability One problem with the High School Caucus today is that it is often far too expensive for high school students to attend the Young Democrats of America conferences and conventions. With flights, hotels, registration, and food, the price quickly reaches $500. In our first full year as your administration, we pledge to raise $5000 for a new scholarship, the “High School Students Matter Scholarship.” This scholarship will give $500 grants to ten students each year to attend a Young Democrats of America conference or convention. Cost should not be barrier for students who want to attend a Young Democrats convention.
Green Donkey Project The Unity Slate is fully aware of the climate crisis and realizes the importance of stopping global warming. It is in that spirit that they plan to enact the Green Donkey Campaign- an effort to keep the High School YDA as green as possible. This will be an interstate competition to see which state can drastically reduce their carbon foot print. By assigning points to different ways to reduce emissions, states will have the chance to compete to be green. For instance, a day devoted to picking up litter would earn a state 200 points. The unity slate wants to drastically reduce their own waste, so if enacted this would keep a conscience eye on putting more information online and less on paper. 8
Thank you for your support. If you have any questions please contact us at [email protected]!
9
THE SOLUTION Our Platform to Fix and Expand the High School Caucus
www.RyanforChair.com
1
What is this? This plan is laid out in three stages. The first is “The Problem,” here we will describe what is wrong with the High School Caucus today. Second is “The Solution,” here we will delve into fixing the problems of the High School Caucus. Finally, there is “The Future,” here we will report on how we will expand and further the High School Caucus after the initial problems are fixed. This plan is not meant to indict anyone of mismanagement, but rather identify how to fix the current problems with the High School Caucus.
Who are you? We are a group of diverse students from all around the country with a unique mission: to solve the problems of the High School Caucus, and expand it in the future. We have freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, with a diverse set of backgrounds and diverse set of expertise. Our immense experiences range from Ryan Davis who raised over $5500 for his local high school chapter to Tim Hwang who is the CEO of Operation Fly, Inc. a non-profit which works to help homeless people in urban areas. These people are leaders in their
2
communities, leaders in their parties, and, with your support, leaders of the High School Caucus.
“The Problem” So What is the Problem with the High School Caucus? There are millions of students in high school all throughout the country. Assuming at least a third of these students are Democrats, we can see that the potential for the high school caucus is truly limitless. But before we can reach new heights, we must first build a strong foundation. Today the High School Caucus remains a fractured organization that has some active state organizations but many inactive states. This is due mostly to what we will call the “resume mentality.” This mentality is what emerges when people take on these large leadership positions within the High School Democrats merely to bolster their college resume. This is the reason why there are
3
states which have had leaders for years but have literally not added a single new chapter. This mentality must end.
What is the Result of This? This problem leads to many serious negative consequences within our organization. It leads to stagnant state and regional organizations that do little in working to build new chapters. High school chapters are the foundation of our caucus and without them there is no reason to exist. This is especially shocking when viewed in light of the Students for Barack Obama high school campaign. SFBO successfully recruited hundreds and hundreds of high school chapters within a few short months. In New Jersey alone, SFBO recruited over 35 new high school chapters between August and November.
“The Solution” What is the Solution? The solution revolves around one keyword: accountability. This has been severely lacking within the High School Democrats of America. Instead of working with states to get rid of incompetent state leaders, and impeaching inactive executive board members, these people have been allowed to remain stagnant. Being a leader in this organization should mean a serious, ongoing time commitment. With this in mind, our slate will institute a new rule, if you do not show progress, we will immediately warn you, and if you 4
do not correct your actions, we will either impeach you or work with your state to find a new leader.
As the problem revolves around a lack of accountability within the organization, there is an inherent need to overhaul existing reporting structures and organization in order to ensure efficiency and long term organizational development. This would require a regular reporting system from the state to national and as well as a fully functioning and helpful evaluation system from the national to the state. Furthermore, a day-to-day bureaucracy and volunteer staff must be set in place by allowing members relative mobility throughout the year as well as day-to-day tasks given not only by the national chair or the executive director but by all members of the national committee. A central infrastructure and information system has to be set in place to be able to sustain expansion and ensure accountability. Finally, there must be regularly scheduled Strategic Planning sessions by the Executive Board for a regular reevaluation of all structures, programs, and initiatives in order to ensure that the organization continues to grow internally, to ensure that it is in check with its political and economic environment, and to cut all unnecessary and inefficient programs.
What effect will this have? This will have the immediate effect of jumpstarting progress towards our real goal: new chapter creation. Once people see that the new administration is 5
focused completely on making solid the foundation of our organization, we will begin to see real progress towards creating vibrant high school caucuses in all of our states. Only once this foundation is in place can we look to expand and create new programs for the states to enact.
“The Future” What do you mean ‘The Future’? Chapter building must always be the core of the High School Democrats, but once we are on our way to sustainable growth, we have to work to expand and modernize our organization. The following are ways in which we will expand and modernize.
Nationally Integrated Website Today, there is no real way for all of the various state organizations to communicate together and to the national leadership. This can be corrected with the creation of a new dynamic website. An idea that has emerged from the California High School Democrats, is to create a website where each 6
state will have their own subsection (e.g. NJ.hsdems.org), and then each chapter have a website within that (e.g. NJ.hsdems.org/WalterHS). This would allow instant communication between states, a difficult accomplishment. Furthermore, it would allow for new chapters to instantly register online, and give state leaders a powerful tool to connect with their chapters.
Expansion Goals The High School Caucus is the most important caucus within the YDA. In our caucus, the future leaders of the YDA are given a voice. With that in mind, it is imperative that every state with a Young Democrats of America chapter also have a High School Democrats of America. By the end of our term, we will make sure that every state with a YDA chapter either has a High School Caucus, or is on the path to founding one. High School Leadership Academy Many teen organizations, such as the Junior Statesmen of America and the Teenage Republicans, hold summer conferences that promote leadership. Why can't the High School Democrats of America hold a similar week-long summer conference? We believe we can and we must. We will work to create this annual event that will help make our organization stronger. We will host keynote speakers and provide various trainings and workshops on how to be not only a better Democrat, but a better leader as well. Summer events such as this will be our first step in expanding the reach of the High School Caucus. 7
YDA Affordability One problem with the High School Caucus today is that it is often far too expensive for high school students to attend the Young Democrats of America conferences and conventions. With flights, hotels, registration, and food, the price quickly reaches $500. In our first full year as your administration, we pledge to raise $5000 for a new scholarship, the “High School Students Matter Scholarship.” This scholarship will give $500 grants to ten students each year to attend a Young Democrats of America conference or convention. Cost should not be barrier for students who want to attend a Young Democrats convention.
Green Donkey Project The Unity Slate is fully aware of the climate crisis and realizes the importance of stopping global warming. It is in that spirit that they plan to enact the Green Donkey Campaign- an effort to keep the High School YDA as green as possible. This will be an interstate competition to see which state can drastically reduce their carbon foot print. By assigning points to different ways to reduce emissions, states will have the chance to compete to be green. For instance, a day devoted to picking up litter would earn a state 200 points. The unity slate wants to drastically reduce their own waste, so if enacted this would keep a conscience eye on putting more information online and less on paper. 8
Thank you for your support. If you have any questions please contact us at [email protected]!
9
