MYDFL at the State Convention

Rochester, Minnesota, June 6-8

MYDFL had a successful weekend at the DFL State Convention in Rochester.  We signed up 47 new members, held a successful "Youth in Politics" Forum, and had so many attendees to our organizational meeting, "Heck Yeah Count Me In:  Getting Involved in MYDFL 2008," that we didn't have enough chairs.

We tabled the entire weekend, and were lucky enough to have a table with prime position: it was directly outside the doors to the arena where most of the convention's business took place.

Youth In Politics Forum

The Youth in Politics Forum was held on the first day of the Convention, Friday, June 6, at 9:45 AM.  Because of the scheduled time, we weren't expecting huge turnout, as most of the Convention's attendees had not yet arrived.  However, we were pleasantly surprised to have 35 people come and listen to our panelists talk about how they manage their life and their involvement in politics.  Our panelists included Adam Duininck, Chair of Congressional District 5, Stacy Ellefson, a Campaign Coordinator and Regional Field Director for the House DFL Caucus, Monica Weber, the Political Advocacy Director for the Minnesota Credit Union Network (also the National Committee Woman for MYDFL), Molly Coleman, a high school intern for the Franken Campaign (also the High School Caucus Chair for MYDFL), Will Howell, Student Outreach Director for the Franken Campaign, and Minnesota State Representative Kate Knuth (50B).

Our goal with the forum was to facilitate a broader discussion about the impact of youth involvement in politics.  What better way than talking to some leading young activists, candidates, and officials in the state? We hoped that by hearing some of their ideas and experiences we would be able to inspire more young people to follow in their path.  Some of the questions asked were:  Why did you get involved?  How does your political involvement affect your social life?  Do you think your age is an advantage, disadvantage, or neither?  What is the best way you see to encourage young people to get involved?

Heck Yeah Count Me In:  Getting Involved in MYDFL 2008

The MYDFL organizational meeting, Heck Yeah Count Me In, was also held on the first day of the Convention, Friday, June 6, but at 5:30 PM.  We were excited and expected a large turnout, but didn't expect it to be as large as it was. The room we were in had 54 chairs, so by our count that left 21 people standing.  In the first few minutes, we heard from Senate Candidates Al Franken (top) and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, as well as Congressional Candidate Ashwin Madia (CD3).

The goal of the meeting was to explain MYDFL in terms of who we are, what we do, and what our plans are for the rest of the election cycle.  MYDFL President Ray Hoover gave a presentation in which he layed out MYDFL's Role in Minnesota Politics, and how members of the constituency- high school students, college students, and young professionals- can achieve political power. 

The first was Issue Advocacy.  Issue advocacy is an important part of MYDFL's role.  Advocacy occurs through MYDFL's platform formulation, issue oriented MYDFL days at the Capitol, and even broad based issue training. 

The second was Party Influence.  As an official part of the Minnesota DFL, it is important for MYDFLers to represent themselves to the party as such.  DFL platform advocacy, committee participation, and volunteer and caucus training all fulfill that role.

The third, and perhaps most prevalent this year, is Electoral Campaigns.  Electoral campaigns are the most direct route to political power.  MYDFL's role is to support members running for elective office, be a resource for DFL candidates, and train members in the Minnesota Campaign system.

Following the presentation, Hoover revealed the next step in MYDFL's plans:  choosing pages for the Minnesota delegation to the National Convention in Denver, and organizing door knocks for young candidates, like Ashwin Madia (candidate for U.S. House, Congressional District 3) and Kate Knuth (Incumbent in MN State House District 50B).

The Rest of the weekend was spent nominating Senate Candidate Al Franken, and tussling over the DFL Board of Directors, DNC members, and National Delegates.