|
|
Arena Community,
Last weekend we held the first of six sessions of Arena Academy 201, our weekly themed trainings to help political professionals navigate the 2020 election.
Our applicants so far are 61% women and nonbinary and 54% Black and Indigenous people of color. These groups typically fall through the cracks of an ad hoc mentorship system that hasn’t been built for the long haul. Now they’re looking to Arena to make up the difference.
We want to offer admission to every qualified applicant. But right now, we’re forced to turn the majority of applicants away -- about 62% per session.
There are simply too many qualified applicants for the number of seats we have available. The only way out of this problem is to offer more trainings.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: |
|
On Friday, we’re partnering with ACRONYM, a digital advertising and organizing group behind some of the highest-profile progressive campaigns in 2020, to teach staffers how to run digital campaigns. The week after that, we’re holding a training session to center equity on campaigns.
We packed our schedule to accommodate as many people as possible, but we’ve already received over 2,000 applications and there are more rolling in every day.
Maybe that’s because there is no other group in the country offering free trainings that are as hands-on and interactive. In our wrap-up survey, participants’ most consistent feedback was gratitude for the chance to problem-solve with other staffers facing similar challenges on races up and down the ballot. That’s especially important while we’re social distancing and can’t meet in person.
Participants have called Arena Academy 201 “life-giving” and say it’s helping them plan with ambition. We want more political professionals to share their experience. Step up and donate what you can to make the progressive vision of smart, woman- and POC-led campaigns a reality.
Best,
Ravi Gupta Arena Co-Founder |
|
