Strong Advocate
We need to define the purpose of the Connecticut Young Democrats. We need to stand behind issues that matter to young adults and continue our mission of molding young leaders for office. I believe the Young Democrats can become a greater force for change in Connecticut. | |
Meetings with a Purpose
The most frequent complaint that we get from one-time visitors to Young Democrats is that our organization “is not what they expected.” What new members expect is a group focused on activism and discussion of new ideas. We need to incorporate that desire into our meetings.
The Connecticut Young Democrats should have two major meetings a month, instead of one. These should be two separate meetings with two different focuses.
Our first meeting should be for general business, including officer and chapter reports. This meeting should focus on administrative and membership issues. The purpose of this meeting is to improve our organization and communication. Due to its content, this meeting should probably adjourn afterwards to a nearby establishment where we can unwind.
The purpose of our second meeting should be to strengthen the role of Young Democrats in the political process. The focus of these meetings should be to discuss current events, new policy ideas, and decide where the Connecticut Young Democrats should stand on issues. The second meeting should take place in an informal setting, like a relaxed coffeehouse or someone’s living room.
A goal of this second meeting will be to draft planks that will be published as Press Releases and placed on our websites and blogs. The group at this meeting will define the language of our position. At the next general meeting, the full membership will vote to approve the Press Release.
Better Chapter Organization
We need to define the relationship between the Connecticut Young Democrats and the individual chapters. The benefit of a decentralized organization is increased opportunity for leadership development and increased visibility with more towns and Democratic town committees. However, the decentralized structure means that our leadership talent is spread out among smaller subgroups across the state.
We need a strong central Connecticut Young Democrats organization to ensure synergy across our chapters and increase our collective political influence. We currently have ten chapters at various levels of activeness. We need to ensure our chapters are setup in a sustainable format that continues a strong bond with our local municipalities.
We need to find better ways to communicate with and between individual chapters to avoid scheduling conflicts and share ideas. We also need to make sure the Connecticut Young Democrats fulfill their promise to support our chapters and establish a formal reimbursement procedure to make sure all expenditures are repaid.
We also need to ensure that we have clear succession plans for periods of chapter inactivity to safeguard against fines for Chapter Treasurers, as has happened in the past. Since we have so many PACs setup across Connecticut, it is our due diligence will prevent this problem from happening again.
Other Public Service
Another facet we should explore is public service through philanthropy and volunteering. We should create a focus group to explore either a specific area of service, or a schedule of service to work with different groups for a period of time.
We also need to explore opportunities to work groups such as the Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs, the Urban League, and other like-minded organizations across the state. If we join with other organizations on key issues, we can increase our influence across Connecticut. |
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