This past weekend, we had the great honor of hosting UCF's own Campus Camp Wellstone. For those who don't know, the Wellstone Camps are a series of workshops whose goals are to enhance grassroots organizing in honor of the late Senator Paul Wellstone. With the help of our facilitators, Camille Cyprian, David, and Naomi Long, organizations and individuals from across the state were able to learn the most efficient elements and techniques needed for effective organizing.

The weekend was spent going over some basics of grassroots organizing, from canvassing to coalition building; but we also learned a great deal about working with legislatures, by understanding common lobbying techniques and even mapping out different relationships. As participants, we also developed a new understanding of different leadership styles within their own organizations, in addition to how to facilitate membership development by keeping everyone engaged and excited about their work.

As a biased author of this piece, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we feel that the event proved to be a huge success. With over 80 registrants and 60 participants, we can safely say that we’ve positively influenced developing groups in Florida. We look forward to hearing from our participants in the future.

Before signing of, we'd like to send out a very special thanks to Siobhan Brewer, our Wellstone coordinator for her guidance, her patience, and all of her support in the months culminating into the final product. We would also like to thank the College Democrats at USF, the College Democrats at Valencia, Democracia USA, Student Sustainability Alliance, and UCF’s Student Government Organization for making this event possible through their participation, outreach, and funding.

As the semester comes to a close, we’d also like to take a moment and wish everybody the best of luck on their upcoming exams. Please stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you soon!