It is now the last week of our internship and we are looking at all we have accomplished in the past two months. From voter registration drives and tabling at various events, to speaking engagements and meeting with our elected officials, it has all been such a learning experience. I have definitely learned a lot about state and local politics through my engagement. I’ve also learned how to better network and articulate my views on issues in a comprehensible way. Mostly, I’ve seen how difficult our field of work is, and how rewarding it can be.
Last week, Forsyth County’s turnout for the 2nd Primary runoff election was less than 2%, a discouraging number. After looking at the numbers, we realized that Granville County had a larger turnout than most. The 500 phone-calls that we made reminding people that there was a run-off election seemed to have made a difference. Those long hours of conversations with strangers on the phone seemed so much more worth the effort after seeing very clearly how our work impacted the turnout. Throughout my internship with Democracy NC, I have seen what our work can accomplish. Students often times feel as if they do not matter, but it is experiences like Democracy Summer that empower students to see their worth. The beginning of our last week with Linda Sutton began with this same conversation over a conference call with representatives from NC Campus Compact and NC PIRG. All of these organizations are working on increasing voter turnout amongst students, because it is clear that here is no limit to what students could accomplish for this democracy if engaged. Through my work with Democracy NC, I have seen my worth. I plan to continue to engage others students on my campus in our work—the work of democracy. This experience would have been nothing without the mentoring and love of Linda Sutton and the companionship of Tyshia Gray.
Keren Salim
Triad Team
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