Courtesy of a friend of mine who is on the e-mail list for Organizing for America, I share below the latest electronic message he received Tuesday evening from the Barack Obama front group. Except for the caricature of the president that I added and the links I disabled, the message appears unedited below:
(Salutation: name removed)
This summer, Organizing for America will train a new team of summer organizers. The Summer Organizing Fellowship is a grassroots program that aims to put boots on the ground and help foster a new generation of leaders — not just to help win elections, but to strengthen our democracy in communities across the country.
We’re reminded nearly every day of the power of organizing — of people standing up and speaking out in their communities. And that kind of effective organizing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It takes commitment, time, and hard work to build a movement around a cause.
That’s exactly what our team of summer organizers will do.
They will be trained in the basic principles that have always built and powered effective grassroots movements, and will be assigned to a specific community where they’ll work to organize supporters street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood. They’ll recruit volunteers, run events, knock on doors, and do what it takes to support the President’s agenda. And, in the end, their work will take our grassroots power to an impressive new level.
Apply now to be a summer organizer, or pass this email along to anyone else you know who might be interested. (link disabled)
Folks who trained in programs like this one have gained important skills that have since helped them in careers with OFA and beyond. And they had a good time doing it.
Becca Siegel, a student at Stanford University, spent the past two summers organizing in Colorado — and she loved it. “Working as a summer organizer certainly taught me a diverse set of skills in a fast-paced environment. Each day brought new opportunities and challenges: a meeting with a local activist followed by voter registration at an outdoor concert, or a conference call with other organizers from around the country followed by volunteering at a community health clinic.”
When she graduates from college later this year, Becca will take the skills she learned at OFA to a new job in South Africa.
You don’t have to be a student, like Becca, or a recent graduate to be a summer organizer. Nikki Giancola, now a regional field director for OFA Illinois, was a middle school teacher for four years before becoming a summer organizer. “I will never forget the day the Affordable Care Act passed,” she says. “It was a feeling like no other — I had played a part in helping millions of people, and the summer organizer program gave me the chance to do so.”
Summer organizer Paras Patel had a similarly unforgettable experience — meeting President Obama at an event in Detroit. “He shook my hand and told me that he was proud of me and appreciated the work I was doing. I didn’t know what to expect when I started at OFA, but meeting the President was definitely a surprise and something I will never forget!”
Successful movements have always been built and grown by ordinary people who take responsibility for organizing their fellow citizens to make their voices heard. We’re looking for folks who are ready to work hard to support the President’s agenda and lay new groundwork to carry this movement forward for years to come.
Click here to apply for the OFA summer organizers program or pass it on to a friend — no experience is needed to apply:
http://my.barackobama.com/Summer-Organizers (link disabled)
Thanks for all you do,
Jeremy
Jeremy Bird
Deputy Director
Organizing for America
This is what we’re up against, folks. 2012 is virtually here!
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