Yes We Can :: Overview
Background:
Before he ever ran for office, Barack Obama learned that you need to combine a commitment to ideals with practical skills and know-how to make a change in politics. He served as a community organizer and developed a voter registration program to register 100,000 new voters in the city of Chicago. When he ran for Senate he opened up opportunities for people of color throughout his campaign. From that experience Yes We Can was formed, a training program to help change the face and culture of campaigns by bringing more people of color into politics. Yes We Can will form a new generation of campaign professionals with the drive and motivation to work for change, and the commitment to stay involved in the political process.
About the Program:
Yes We Can is a training and job placement program, organized by Hopefund in partnership with EMILY's List and Campaign Corps, with a goal of expanding opportunities for people of color in political campaigns around the country. This program is designed to recruit and train young people of color who have the desire to work on campaigns but have limited experience. Senator Obama's priority is to identify and create a class of talented campaign staffers who gradually build experience in all areas of campaigns, and who will continue to work in politics over an extended period of time. .
Project Overview:
In its second cycle, Yes We Can will identify 20 people of color participants for training and campaign placement in June. The training will be conducted by top Democratic experts in their field, and participants will learn the keys to developing a successful campaign. Following the seminars, Hopefund will facilitate placement onto campaigns, both with a job fair targeting party committees and with direct contact with campaigns. Though campaigns will employ and direct the activities of Yes We Can members, Hopefund will track and evaluate the progress of its members. At the end of the campaign all staffers will report back to Hopefund and debrief about their experiences on the various campaign projects. After the participants complete their first campaign, Hopefund will facilitate placement and advancement for top prospects on future campaigns.
For more information, you may contact Tori L. Scarborough at 202-543-4673 or tscarborough@hopefundamerica.com
