politicorps

A lot of Future Majority readers no doubt heard about Andrea Huerfano, the 23-year-old democracy activist from Colombia arrested last week and detained. Andrea, a threat to no one but the forces of apathy, had moved to the U.S. with her family after her father was threatened with political violence. Her father died while waiting consideration of his asylum claims.

Last year, Andrea won a hard fought position as a PolitiCorps fellow, where she spent 80 hours per week registering young Americans to vote, a right she herself lacked. She went on to volunteer in Ohio in the fall of '08, continuing to register voters and kick ass for America.

The good news is that Andrea's deportation has been stayed. This happened because of actions of hundreds of young Americans, many of whom have had the pleasure of serving alongside Andrea. Here's the release the Oregon Bus Project just put out:

YOUNG ACTIVIST FREED FROM DETENTION FACILITY

YOUTH MOVEMENT COMES TO THE AID OF A YOUNG COMMUNITY ORGANIZER

Portland, OR – On December 8th, while paying a traffic ticket, 23 year-old community organizer Andrea Huerfano was detained at Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, Florida, and faced imminent deportation. Thanks to the efforts of young organizers from a coalition led by Bus Project, PolitiCorps and Students Working for Equal Rights, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that she will be released this afternoon.

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Andrea's family fled from political threats in Colombia in 2001 with a valid visa, bringing her and her younger brother to the United States before her first year of high school. During her second year at Florida State University, while the family's political asylum was still being adjudicated, Andrea's father died of liver cancer. After his death, Andrea and her mother and brother pursued political asylum status based on his experiences in Columbia. They submitted their plea to immigration Judge Teofilo Chapa. Although the national average denial rate for applications for asylum is 58%, Judge Chapa denies 88% of the asylum claims before him. Their claim was denied.

After hearing word of her detention last Tuesday, an impromptu coalition of non-profits, advocates, students, lawyers and individuals from across the country came together in support of Andrea. Hundreds of people across the country were recruited to petition for Andrea’s release, putting phone calls into ICE offices in DC and Florida.

Andrea will be released on a "stay of removal" this afternoon and will have six months to assemble her case.

"We'll continue to work closely with her during this next phase, but for now – we just want to express how grateful we are for the incredible outpouring of support, advice, resources, time, and love," says Caitlin Baggott, Director of PolitiCorps, "Andrea deserves a chance to achieve her American dream."

Even as her status in the United States became increasingly uncertain Andrea continued to be an avid volunteer and community activist. She donated her time to numerous organizations, including Florida Immigrant Coalition and the DREAM Team coalition while a student at Florida State University. After graduating from Florida State University with a bachelors degree in international relations, she volunteered for five months with the International Labor Rights Forum and the International Rescue Committee, where she helped case workers work with with individuals who had been granted asylum. In the summer of 2008 she earned a competitive a Fellowship to participate in PolitiCorps, a prestigious political training program in Portland, Oregon.

“Andrea’s passionate commitment to American democratic values and her reliance and optimism in the face of adversity make her one of the most exceptional young leaders I have ever had the privilege of knowing,” says Alex Tischenko, a former supervisor of Andrea's, regarding her deep involvement in civic engagement. During her fellowship with PolitiCorps in 2008, she spearheaded efforts to educate low-income communities about criminal justice legislation in Oregon. She was considered one of the hardest-working and most promising Fellows in the program. Andrea continued on to support "get out the vote" efforts in Ohio during the 2008 general election.

For more information about the Andrea’s case, please contact Mollie Ruskin or Caitlin Baggott at the Oregon Bus Project at 503.233.3018

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Thank you, all, for your help.

To help more young Americans (citizen status pending), check out USSA's DREAM Act page.

A few years ago EMILY's List did this amazing video asking women to run for office. They had found that the major reason women didn't run for office was because no one suggested it to them or asked them to run - where male candidates never needed to be asked, they just ran.

Given this new data, I wonder if the same is true for young people who could be young candidates.

"PoliticsUnder30.org, an effort by GW’s Graduate School of Political Management to support young people in politics, was recently launched to “help the young people of today become the political leaders of tomorrow,” said F. Christopher Arterton, dean of the school and professor of political management, of media and of advanced strategy. The Web site is targeted toward political science undergraduates across the country but will benefit students and professionals outside that group."

The survey suggests that 85% of young people surveyed said they would consider pursuing a career in politics if they had more information about it. Careers in politics sometimes lead to those who also seek elected office. Like training programs like Campaign Corps, PolitiCorps, CORO, and other programs GW's campaign school offers training in politics and policy preparing youth who seek a future in politics, but few seek out youth who could be good in careers in politics.

Not all of those who could be leaders or political operatives are Political Science majors. I think it would be a great service for programs like this to look at those outside of traditional polisci programs.

Another problem I see frequently as someone who works in politics is political parties who recruit people to run for office. All too frequently the candidates are older, wealthy, white people. But there is a lot of potential to develop young people in leadership positions who can grow experiences to seek higher office. At the same time young leaders can bring others to politics simply by their own presence or involvement.

In the spirit of the EL video... let me be one of the people to ask all of those reading this to run. RUN! You've been asked. RUN! Do it for your friends, your sisters and brothers - RUN - for better legislation that considers our generation. RUN for all that we can do as Millennials. RUN for our future.

Lots of new stuff in today's Quick Hits - from social media strategies, to training programs and service legislation:

• Yesterday the Washington Post threw-down the gauntlet, claiming that Facebook Causes was a disappointment because it had failed to open the spigot of small dollar donations hoped for by nonprofits. Allison Fine immediately rose to the defense of the Causes Application, noting that the Washington Post piece misses the true nature of fundraising on the web, and the true purpose and value of Causes to non profits.
• Campus Progress notes that 1/3 of all unemployed Americans and call for the creation of a New Deal for Young Workers.
• USA Today notes that public universities are about to see hefty tuition hikes.
• At the Politics Online Conference, Nancy Scola reports on an interesting conversation about how mobile activism differs from traditional online activism.
• Over at his other blog, FM contributor Kevin Bondelli explains how the Young Democrats rapidly grew their membership on Facebook in the last month.
• PolitiCorps, the political boot camp operated by the Bus Project, is accepting applications for their summer program.
• James Carville is fully on the youth bandwagon. In his new book, he notes that the GOP has become the Grand OLD Party.
• Peter Levine reports that the size of Americorps is about to triple. He's also got some very interesting thoughts on how Obama has developed a deeper than usual conception of service.
• On a related note, the Huffington Post reports on service as a new kind of patriotism.

It's like AmeriCorps, but you don't have to abstain from politics while you serve. In fact, we encourage voting.*
It's like the Peace Corps, but you won't get malaria. (We promise. Oregon's been malaria-free for years.)*
It's PolitiCorps. A term of service for democracy.

Do you know a hotshot young activist ready to run a campaign, polish up her public speaking skills, and manage a volunteer team? You should nominate her or him now.

This week PolitiCorps will accept the first dozen Fellows for the 2009 Summer Bootcamp, based in Portland, Oregon. Applications are due on March 20th.

Fellowships provide a total of 24 promising young activists a free 10 week training in high impact grassroots organizing skills and next generation leadership skills.

This national Fellowship for young progressives offers:

• A cleared path toward a career in the public interest
• Training in communications, community organizing, public policy analysis, networking, data management, and project management
• Round-table conversations with nationally-known politics, wonks, strategists, and progressive change-agents
• Close friendships with some of the brightest and most dedicated activists in the country
• Housing and cost of living stipends are offered on top of tuition for the 10 week training

PolitiCorps Fellows are college juniors, seniors, and recent graduates (up to 24 years old) who have a demonstrated commitment to progressive values and an interest in the political process.

To learn more, download our shiny brochure.

There are two applications periods for Summer 2009.
Round 1: Applications due March 20th (12 Fellows)
Round 2: Rolling admissions until the program is full (12 Fellows)

To apply today, submit a nomination form now.

*Obviously, we think AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps (and all the other Corps) are neato. Really super.

Hey all, here's one more training opportunity to add to the post I made last week. PolitiCorps, the training arm of the Oregon Bus Project, is accepting applications for their summer institute from now until early March:

About Politicorps:
PolitiCorps strives to create the future generation of progressive leaders. PolitiCorps has 3 goals:

• Make an impact in the short term.
• Develop leaders for the long term.
• Incubate creative and innovative ideas.

Summer Institute, Fellows:
PolitiCorps Summer Institute is a political bootcamp consisting of hands-on skills training, innovative public policy intensives, and real-world applications of leadership skills and campaign savvy.

PolitiCorps Fellows learn new ways of thinking about the world. But PolitiCorps is not just a school of thought. PolitiCorps is a place where Fellows learn by doing: they register voters, organize communities, vet public policy white papers, launch media campaigns, and, at the end of the day, make an impact. It’s the only program of its kind—a political immersion and leadership training program designed to engage and prepare college students and recent graduates for a broad spectrum of progressive leadership activities.

More after the jump: