According to training manager Jen Haut, the 2009 offering of Camp Wellstone Seattle was a huge success. As I wrote earlier this month the organization that bears the name of the late Minnesota Senator, Paul Wellstone, was coming to Seattle for their third year of Progressive Activist Training. The 2 1/2 day training labeled Camp Wellstone was held over the weekend of April 24-26 at the North Seattle Community College. I stopped in on Saturday to see how things were going.
Jen Haut - Head Camper
I met up with Haut; now in her second year with Wellstone Action, as soon as I arrived on campus. She told me that this was by far the best attended training thus far this year. With some 140 - 150 trainees from across the state signed up for the three "tracks" (Candidate, Campaign, Citizen Activist) the numbers even exceeded the kick-off training camp on the organization's home turf in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Haut said that the organization was pleased to see the numbers remaining high after the successes of the 2008 elections; but they were most gratified to note that many people were coming with an emphasis on community organizing - the hallmark of Paul Wellstone's career and an area that was highlighted by Barack Obama last year. Haut told me that there were about a dozen trainers for the weekend. Most of them were from the Wellstone home base in Minnesota there a few from the local area as well. Also partnering with the Wellstone organization; providing local logistical support (as they have for each of Wellstone's trainings in our area), was the Washington State chapter of Progressive Majority.
The theme of community organizing was reinforced by Melody Dawson; one of the "campers" I spoke to during the lunch break. Dawson, vice-chair of the Progressive non-partisan group, Democracy for Snohomish County, said that the vast majority of the attendees on the Citizen Acticvist track (in which she was enrolled) were there representing a variety of social action groups. Among the causes she had listed in her notes were children's services, healthcare, elder care, food banks, and housing advocacy. She said that while many folks had been active in some way with the Obama campaign during the election cycle, they were more focused now on organizing their communities around the various social causes they were involved with. I asked her why she was attending Camp Wellstone and if the experience was meeting her expectations. she told me that she was at the training to learn about effective organizing and promotional tools that she could take back to her organization to help them in their efforts at community outreach. She was also hoping to gain some tools for effective recruiting to help grow the group. She said that the energy and enthusiasm coming from both the trainers and the attendees was certainly adding to the experience and that the learning experience was enhanced because of the great interaction between everyone in the room.
Melody Dawson - Camp Wellstone graduate
Haut said that the Seattle training was the 4th one since the November election and the third since the first of the year. From here she said she would be getting organized for the next Camp Wellstone which be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin over Memorial Day weekend of May 29-31.
Peace,
Chad Shue
