Ever heard of Ignite National? If not, ya better know now than later! Ignite National is a non-profit, non-partisan organization building a movement of young women who are eager to become the next political leaders. Dr. Anne Moses, the Founder and President, knew that the only way to achieve parity would be to reach women at a younger age. In 2010 Ignite came to life in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California.
One of many accomplishments that Ignite has created is their Ignite Fellowship. Ignite began the fellowship three years ago with four young women across the country creating efforts to expand the mission of Ignite by launching college councils, developing college chapters, and organizing other events within their designated areas. The fellowship was composed of four fellows from Southern California to Atlanta, Georgia. Now on their third year they’ve grown to 15 fellows: Minneapolis-St. Paul, Madison, San Antonio, Memphis, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chicago, Columbus, Central Valley (CA), Washington, D.C., Boston, Southern California, Seattle, Denver, and New York. The young women are doing a lot of work to encourage other women to become politically engaged and politically ambitious.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul fellow, Andrea Duarte (yes, my very self) is hoping that more young women across the metro area and outside the area know about Ignite and the incredible hard work the organization is doing. To start off the year in the Twin Cities, Ignite is hosting a Young Women Run conference series in Minneapolis on Thursday, October 11th!
Young Women Run Twin Cities will be from 5:30pm-7:30pm at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The event will begin with registration, a welcome and an ice breaker. To continue the night Irene Fernando, who is running for Hennepin County District 2, will be the keynote speaker. Planned Parenthood will then speak about getting out the vote and the event will wrap up with an opportunities fair that consists of at least five different campaigns.
If you’re looking for a way to step into politics, learn about politics, and eat some good food then this event is for you! The event cost is $10 but Ignite is offering scholarships for those who note it in their registration form.
Do not miss out on the event as women will learn more about how to stay involved with Ignite and foster a community of politically ambitious young women that is very much needed in 2018 and beyond.