Editor’s note: The views expressed in essays posted or printed as part of the newspaper’s Community Voices Project are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Union-Tribune Editorial Board.
Block is a second-year political science student at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He is from Encinitas.
Most college students I know enjoy their weekends by sleeping in, spending time with friends, and trying to give their brains a break from schoolwork. However, I got to spend October’s first weekend halfway across the country in Denver, Colorado, participating in a workshop program learning how to build winning campaigns, meeting other ionate student activists from around the country, and hearing from some of the most inspiring, young political forces in our government.
I was lucky enough to Demand a Seat: Students Edition, an Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund program. Demand a Seat is an immersive election training camp where we learn from political leaders and their staff on how to run winning campaigns to create a better future for our generation and beyond. Over that weekend, we tackled everything from campaign planning and effective messaging to voter and volunteer engagement strategies.
To put our knowledge to the test, my cohort of students was presented with a hands-on capstone project that mirrored real life campaign scenarios. Each of our groups were tasked with pitching a winning campaign strategy for our of judges (made up of experienced campaign staffers and electeds) to decide whether or not to endorse our campaigns. Within my group, I worked as the campaign manager and field director to elect a fictitious University of Georgia student to their county commission on a gun sense platform. Because of the incredible information we learned and the advice given to us by young politicians (including U.S. House Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida, and Quinton Law, deputy mayor of Moorestown, New Jersey) our campaign was endorsed!
I’m so excited at the chance of taking everything I learned at Demand a Seat to a campaign in my community for 2024 (and beyond!). I feel so much more prepared to meaningfully contribute to campaigns and elect candidates who want to help the world, especially young candidates. Young people are often left out of political spaces because folks think we don’t have the experience or maturity to have a seat at the table. But if this program has shown me anything, it’s that that could be farther from the truth. We’re not the future, we’re the now. While the idea of running for office or working on campaigns is intimidating, I know change isn’t possible if young people like me don’t try.
Even with all of my professional takeaways, I think I’m more grateful for the amazing people I’ve met and connections I made at Demand a Seat. The staff from Everytown were all incredibly knowledgeable and had a clear desire to share as much of it as possible with us. Their ion for their work is truly inspiring. I also have to give special kudos to all the amazing guest speakers who took the time from their busy schedules to talk to us. Every single one was interesting and engaging (which is no easy task with a room of constantly sleep deprived students on a weekend).
And, of course, I have to shout out my fellow students: they are a force to be reckoned with. I am beyond inspired by the ion they all brought to the table. I am confident that I will see many expertly-run campaigns led by these students in the coming years. And it’s no question that several more of them will be in public office soon. It can be incredibly hard seeing the same out-of-touch voices dominate politics for years. I can’t wait until students and young people start challenging the status quo and enact meaningful and much needed change.
I hope it’s quite clear that I had an amazing time at the event. To my fellow students reading, please keep an eye on Students Demand Action so you have a chance to apply for a future cohort. I cannot recommend it enough.
But I’m sure some readers are wondering: Landon, why did you even apply for this in the first place? I’m so glad you asked! As frequent readers of the U-T may know, I am a member of the Community Voices Project, a forum for respectful discourse about news of the day and matters of the community that brings dozens of thought leaders together in a public dialogue. In April, I published an essay on gun violence prevention, a topic I’m incredibly ionate about. Guns are the number one killer of children and teens, and while we continue to be disproportionately affected by this crisis, we are also leading the fight to end it.
To the lawmakers that for far too long have put politics and reputation over our safety, the generation you failed to protect is doing more than protesting and petitioning. We’re running to replace you. And don’t you dare underestimate us for a second. I can tell you firsthand that there was more than enough ion in those training sessions to win any race. I encourage you to us in this fight because we will be making a difference. It’s just a question of who will be in office to enact it: you or us.
