"Congratulations! You are now all alumni of Wellstone Action, a group of over 22,000 people!" Anyone who has attended a Camp Wellstone hears this once they've completed their weekend. We encourage our newest alums to stay in touch, and we mean it. We want to celebrate your accomplishments or hear about how things are going on the campaign trail.
We hear back from our alums in various capacities, and one of the questions I hear most often is "How do I bring Camp Wellstone to my area?" While we'd love to travel non-stop across the country the reality is that we can't get everywhere (we teach the importance of sustaining yourself at Camp Wellstone, and as much as possible we try to listen to our own advice!). However, that doesn't mean that we don't listen to our alumni or other partners who contact us in need of training. We trust them to know their own political and grassroots landscape, and with the success of the 2008 elections, Camp Wellstone has been in great demand.
We're rolling out a new slate of summer camps, and we're pleased that two of them are being coordinated with the efforts of our great alumni. Take a look at our upcoming camps and see what these alumni have been up to.
Green Bay, WI, May 29-31, 2009
Alumni highlight: Dan Piton
Camp attended: Milwaukee 2007, Being a Candidate Track
After Camp, Dan won a spot on Green Bay's City Council serving the 6th District. While Dan honed his skills at the Milwaukee camp, he also had other ideas to bring CW to his hometown of Green Bay, where he tells us activism is at its peak!
Alumni highlight: Julie Heun
Camp attended: Madison 2006, Working on a Campaign Track
Julie reached out to Wellstone Action when she encouraged two individuals from Green Bay to attend a Madison camp in 2008. Alongside Dan, she also turned the gears to make CW Green Bay a reality.
Both Dan and Julie have put to use their grassroots organizing skills in their community. Together, they have recruited many attendees from labor unions, local campaigns, and nonprofits. Additionally, they secured many of the logistical details (often the unglamorous, but important details of any training!) and have set up a scholarship fund so anyone in need can attend the camp.
Chicago, July 17-19, 2009
Alumni highlight: Connie Baker
Camp attended: DuPage County, IL 2007, Working on a Campaign Track
The DuPage County camp is infamous for the unbelievable organizing efforts that took place. Each track was brimming with the 50 maximum participants and the campers organized themselves to bring in a potluck for breakfast each day. Connie Baker, who works for the Greater Chicago Caucus, was one of those attendees. At Wellstone Action, we often return to places where we've offered trainings, so making a trip back to the Chicago area is all a part of our relationship building. Like our WI alums, Connie is working to garner the support of several coalitions, fundraise to offer camper scholarships, and also secure a space to hold the camp.
You can help support more great Camp Wellstone alumni by providing a Camp Wellstone Scholarship today!
COMMENTS
Location of Chicago July 17-19 Camp
I'm not sure exactly where in Chicago that the Camp will be held. Any info on that?
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