Thursday, April 03, 2008

Organizing Fellowship

Emily --

I want to tell you about one of the most exciting projects of this campaign. It's called the Obama Organizing Fellowship.

When I was a young man, I was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and the idea of people working at a grassroots level to bring about change.

I got my chance on the South Side of Chicago, as a community organizer, and it was the transformative experience of my career.

It allowed me to put my values to work and to see that real change comes not from the top-down, but from the bottom-up, when ordinary people come together around a common purpose.

The experience changed the course of my life -- and I want to share that kind of opportunity with you.

That's why we're introducing a program that's going to train a new generation of leaders -- not only to help us win this election, but to help strengthen our democracy in communities across the country.

If you apply and are selected, you'll be trained in the basic organizing principles that this campaign and our movement for change are built on. You will be assigned to a community where you'll organize supporters. Assignments will begin in June, and you'll be required to work a minimum of six weeks over the summer.

This program is designed to give you real world organizing experience that will have a concrete impact on this election.

Apply to be an Obama Organizing Fellow and put progressive values to work in the real world:

http://my.barackobama.com/fellows

If you can't take the time away from work or your family that's required for the fellowship program, you can still get involved.

*Reach out to someone you know who may be interested in this program, and let them know we could use their help:
http://my.barackobama.com/fellowsinvite

*House an Organizing Fellow -- If you have a spare room, you can help by offering housing to an Organizing Fellow near their training or near their eventual assignment. We haven't set locations for all of the trainings and assignments, but if you sign up, our staff will be in touch as the campaign grows:
http://my.barackobama.com/fellowshousing

*Support this program by making a donation to this campaign:
https://donate.barackobama.com/fellowsdonate

Being a community organizer wasn't easy, but it was the most valuable education I ever received. It taught me that together, ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

Organizing changed my life, and I hope it changes yours.

Thanks,

Barack Obama
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We've signed up to offer housing to any fellows that need it. I thought many of you might like the opportunity to help out, also.

This is the kind of leadership I look forward to when Obama becomes President. It's completely different than what we've always known and it is causing real action and real results, from real people....the fruit of these efforts remains to be seen, but I'm looking forward to seeing it!!:)

1 comment:

jbro said...

What an awesome opportunity!! I would consider signing up myself if it wouldn't mean being away from you all a whole summer, and just after I got back to the States. I am excited to see Obama working hard to not only connect with the young people of America but also put them to work so they begin to understand that they have a voice that can be heard today, not just when they are middle aged with pot bellies. This is just another example of why Obama will be receiving my vote!