All is well, the schedule below is correct!
Registration: The registration table will be open from 4:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m. on Friday and from 9:00 a.m. — 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Location will be in the hotel lobby..
Friday, March 5
| Time | Lee | Whidbey | Shaw | Vashon | T.S. McHugh's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00 | |||||
| 3:00 | |||||
| 4:00 | |||||
| 5:00 | |||||
| 6:00 | |||||
| 7:00 | |||||
| 8:00 | Opening Reception | ||||
| 9:00 | |||||
Saturday, March 6
| Time | Lee | Whidbey | Shaw | Vashon | Ballroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 | |||||
| 9:00 | New Media Organizing | Rules Committee | Environmental Caucus | ||
| 10:00 | Public Speaking and Presenting | Platform Committee | Constitution Committee | Diversity Caucus | |
| 11:00 | Politics 101 | Religious Caucus | |||
| 12:00 | |||||
| 1:00 | Breaking Into Democratic Politics | Platform Committee | Endorsements Committee | LGBTQ Caucus | |
| 2:00 | |||||
| OFA Training | Women's Caucus | ||||
| 3:00 | Credentials Committee | ||||
| Labor Caucus | |||||
| 4:00 | YDA Pacific Region | ||||
| 5:00 | |||||
| 6:00 | VIP Reception | ||||
| 7:00 | Awards Banquet | ||||
| 8:00 | |||||
| 9:00 | |||||
Sunday, March 7
| Time | Lee | Whidbey | Shaw | Vashon | Blakely Camano |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 | |||||
| General Board | |||||
| 9:00 | |||||
| General Session | |||||
| 10:00 | |||||
| 11:00 | |||||
| 12:00 | |||||
| New and Old Board Meeting | |||||
| 1:00 | |||||
| 2:00 |
Map of Meeting Rooms
Event Descriptions
Friday Night Reception
On Friday night, all the Convention-going Young Democrats are invited to enjoy a welcoming reception at TS McHugh's near Seattle Center. This event will feature a variety of de licious appetizers, courtesy of our generous sponsors. YDs are welcome to order dinner and drinks. Our fantastic guest speaker, Dennis Eagle, is the Director of Legislative and Political Affairs for the Washington Federation of State Employees, the largest union in the state, and is also a past president of the YDWA. Come meet your young Democratic colleagues from around the state to network and make new friends at the Convention kick-off event!
The event begins at 8 pm at TS McHugh's After introductions and hearing from our illustrious speaker, there is also an optional bar crawl mapped out for anyone interested in seeing some of the many entertaining venues in the Seattle Center area...or you're welcome to stay at TS McHugh's, or head back to the hotel for the rest of the evening.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Speaking in Public: How To Make an Impact
Whether the idea public speaking leaves you weak in the knees or chomping at the bit, you will leave this training with skills that will strengthen your public speaking skills. Our trainer, Tony Ventrella, will help you identify ways to effectively communicate your message and deliver calls to action that will invigorate your audience. You will leave this training feeling more confident about your speaking skills and ready to confidently share your thoughts with audiences of all types.
Tony Ventrella has covered sports and news in the Seattle area since 1981 when he was an anchor for KOMO. He was also the Sports Director at KING-5 and KIRO-7 television. Between his work on television, radio and stage, Tony has over 30 years of experience speaking in front of all types of audiences. He has had his own radio talk show, is currently host of Local Edition on CNN Headlines News, "The Conversation" on TVW, and works with the Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC.
Women in Politics: Is the Glass Ceiling Broken in Washington?
In a state where both U.S. Senators, the Governor, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court are women, we find ourselves asking &emdash; the glass ceiling been shattered here in Washington? Our speakers are going to share their thoughts about the role women play in Washington Politics and what the future holds for the next generation of candidates.
Suzan DelBene is running for Congress in the 8th CD. Suzan has served at Microsoft as a Corporate Vice, currently provides consulting services to companies, has been a strategic advisor to Global Partnerships, a non-profit focused on supporting microfinance and sustainable solutions that serve those in poverty in Latin America, and has also been a long time volunteer with YWCA. She also serves on the Reed College board of trustees.
Politics 101: How Do Things Work In Washington?
Compared to many states in the union, Washington has a unique political landscape. This session will help you understand how elections in our state differ from the norm. Our tr ainers will also discuss the political leanings of different areas in the state, helping our attendees understand what messages will be most likely to resonate in the communities where they live.
Christian Sinderman was Senator Maria Cantwell's Communications Director when she achieved her incredible upset victory in 2000. He is an experienced campaign manager who has worked with candidates running at all levels of government. Christian is the founder of Northwest Passage, one of the top political consulting firms in Seattle. Noel Frame has recently joined Washington's Progressive Majority as the new Political Director. Noel served as Deputy Campaign Manager for Approve R-71 and is a co founder of the Washington Bus. A native of Battle Ground, Washington, she worked for both Senator Cantwell and Congressman Baird which exposed her to the wide range of views in th e state.
Breaking Into Democratic Politics
Young People are playing an increasingly large role in every aspect of politics. Our trainers will discuss what they've learned along the way to becoming some of our state's mo st influential young leaders.
You'll hear advice on how to successfully work with local and state political organizations, how to find a job on a campaign and in other political fields, and how to run for o ffice as a young candidate.
Nathe Lawver was elected to chair one of the state's largest party organizations, the Pierce County Democrats and recently was recognized as one of the two Out standing Party Chairs by the Washington State Democrats. Nathe currently works for the Pierce County Labor Community Services Agency as an AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison.
Michael King's political career began nearly ten years ago knocking on doors and making phone calls on Bill Bradley's Presidential campaign. Since that time, h e has worked on Presidential, Gubernatorial and U.S. Senate campaigns in numerous states, including John Kerry's Campaign in 2003 and 2004. Originally from Connecticut, Michael fi rst visited the northwest in 2004, when he managed Senator Patty Murray's re-election campaign in Southwest Washington. Michael worked on the State Democratic Coordinated Campaign in both 2006 as the Field Director and as the Director in 2008. Since 2009, Michael has been a Principal at his own political consulting firm, WinPower Strategies.
Sam Ross is a member of the Lakewood Lions and serves on the Relay for Life board to outreach to the city and bring programs and services to his community that make it a better place to live. Currently, Sam serves as the Vice Chair of the Lakewood Public Safety Advisory Committee.
Amy Ockerlander has served as both campaign manager and Legislative Assistant for 45th LD State Representative Larry Springer. In July 2007, she accepted a pos ition as an Executive Analyst with the Snohomish County Executive Office where her duties include managing state and federal affairs for the Executive and serving as a public info rmation officer during emergencies. In 2009, Amy won election to the Duvall City Council.
Reengaging First-Time Voters: Working With OFA in 2010
The Young Democrats of Washington are pleased to welcome Organizing for America (OFA) as participants in our Take Home Activism series.
OFA is the successor organization to Obama for America. It is building on the movement that elected President Obama by empowering communities across the country to bring about our agenda of change. In this session, you will learn how to join OFA's grassroots campaigns to support the President's agenda.
Our trainers, Dustin Lambro and Priscilla Min, will help you learn how to join thousands of other Americans working to change our country for the better through activism online, on the phone, on doorsteps, and in town halls across the country.
Nothing is more powerful than your voice and OFA will help you learn to make sure your voice is heard.
Committees: Doing the Business of YDWA
The YDWA Convention is our biggest business meeting of the year. Each chartered chapter gets one representative on each committee. If you are interested in serving as a representative and helping make YDWA a stronger organizations, talk to your Chapter Leader.
Platform Committee
Chair: Angel Ojeda
The Platform Committee revises our statement of values that helps define what our organization stands for.
Rules Committee
Chair: Forrest Smith
The Rules Committee sets the details of the Convention agenda. This includes election order, caucusing procedures, and rules of order.
Credentials Committee
Chair: Chiho Lai
Credentials helps establish the voting strength of each chapter, based in on the number of delegates, and how far they had to travel for convention. The credentials committee will also be in charge of reviewing and giving recommendations on approval of chapter charters to the YDWA Board.
Constitution Committee
Chair: Jeremiah Thompson
The Constitution Committee updates our organization's Constitution and bylaws. These are the governing documents for YDWA and influence our procedures, meetings, and even elected officers.
Endorsements Committee
Chair: Robin Ledbetter
The Endorsements Committee is a standing committee of YDWA. The first meeting occurs at convention, and then they continue to meet over the following months to determine which candidates and campaigns should be supported by YDWA. This committee will review the questionnaires submitted by candidates and conduct interviews.
Caucuses: Working with Partner Organizations and Electing New Leaders
In an effort to better work with outside groups and do outreach to more young people, YDWA developed caucuses. These caucuses work through the year with allied organizations and provide guidance on issues to the state organization.
During caucus meetings, the participants will hear from speakers on topics relating to the caucus and their mission to do outreach with partner organizations. This year, the caucus meetings will be part of the Take Home Activism Series designed to give participants ideas for events throughout the year.
Also during these meetings the caucuses will elect new leadership for the coming year. Each chapter gets a vote on the new Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. Everyone is encouraged to participate in these meetings.
Diversity Caucus
Chair: Grant Freeman
The Diversity Caucus addresses issues of outreach to minority constituency groups. Come discuss how YDWA can better achieve this goal.
Environmental Caucus
Chair: Robby Noble
This caucus will be speaking on the environmental movement in Washington state and how chapters and YDWA can become more involved.
Religious Caucus
Chair: Katja Horwitz-Smith
Long time minister Vincent Lachina talks about how to outreach to the religious community and break the stereotypes that Democrats and religion just don't mix. He is an Equal Rights Washington Board Member and Chaplain for Planned Parenthood.
LGBTQ Caucus
Chair: Taylor Passmore
This caucus will speak on current issues relating to the LGBTQ community in Washington State and beyond.
Women's Caucus
Chair: Kaaren Harvey
Dana Laurent, Political Director of Planned Parenthood Votes Washington, is going to speak on organizations focusing on issues important to women and about how to work these groups as we plan events in our community.
Labor Caucus
Chair: Robin Ledbetter
Washington State Labor Council Political Director Ben Lawver will is going to help identify key crossover issues between young voters and the labor community. He'll speak on how to identify work with union organizations to partner with when trying to plan events around these issues.
Awards Banquet and VIP Reception
VIP Reception
Be sure to join Democratic VIPs and YDWA Leadership from around the state for a private reception before the awards banquet. This event is not included in the registration fee, and YD tickets can be purchased at the door for $10.
Awards Banquet
Every year as a part of the convention, YDWA hosts an awards banquet to recognize the achievements that our organization has been able to make over the past year. This also provides convention attendees to get to know each other in a less formal setting. At the banquet, President Megan Gustafson will present awards to some of the hardest working Young Democrats from the past year.
Nominations are submitted by members, and carefully considered by the President.
General Session
General Session is the culmination of all of the work we did to further the organization over the weekend.
During General Session we hear and discuss the reports of each committee, get updates from each caucus, and elect the new officers. This is one more chance to influence the direction of YDWA as we go into 2010.