Latest news from the YVR California campaign...
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Friday, 07 November 2008 20:57 |
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My name is Sunjum Hundal, and although I am not old enough to vote, I am making a difference. Growing up I would turn on the TV and think to myself, “Oh God, more politics.” It seemed to me that CNN would always have some statistical analysis of how young people in our country would never vote or contribute to society because we just don’t care. And for a long time I thought that was truth, that we young people couldn’t change the world. Then came a message of hope and change from a relatively young senator from Illinois, and for once in my life I paid attention. I listened, I agreed, I believed. So when a friend of mine told me about the Young Democrats office in Stockton, I immediately wanted to get out there and help in any way I could. I must admit that I was pretty nervous at first, I‘ve never really been one to step out of my comfort zone. Still, I knew that something had to be done in order to correct the stereotypes of our age group. I devoted my time, went door to door, and even made phone calls, but it never really felt like work to me. Because unlike many other volunteer programs, the Young Democrats allowed me to take part in something meaningful while simultaneously having the time of my life. Constant laughter filled our office and my cheeks would be killing me by the end of the day because I couldn’t stop smiling. I will never forget the people I met throughout this whole process, we were a team, a family, all working together to achieve the same goals. When Barack Obama announced, “I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you,” we Young Democrats understood the truth behind his words. We are all a part of this historic journey, and we will never forget what our time and our effort was able to achieve. Not only have I met some of the most amazing people, but I too have grown as a person. I now see how important it is to educate oneself and to exercise our right to voice our opinions. People at school know how I feel because I no longer hide my thoughts, in fact it is quite the opposite. I’m not afraid to stand up and say what I believe is right, I even sport political pins expressing my views. I've been so inspired by my experience with the YDA that I never want to look back; I may even consider a career in politics because of it. One thing is for sure, I will continue to be involved with the YDA and I will continue to make a difference. |
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Friday, 07 November 2008 16:42 |
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My name is Sergio Francu, I am 19 years old, originally from the Bay Area, and now living in Stockton where I go to the Adult School. As a younger person I was always getting into a lot of trouble. I never listened to anybody, and I thought everyone was against me, out to make my life miserable. My anger as a youngster blurred my vision in seeing that people were extra hard on me because they saw the brightness and potential. I rebelled and got lost in all the negativity of the streets. Now that I'm older and wiser, I'm trying to stay more productive. I returned to finish high school, and I came across the Young Democrats. Before I ever ran into them, I thought anything having to do with government stuff was dumb. I started to get interested when they taught me that we have the power to choose who and what we want to be good for us. The knowledge that I got from all this made me want to spread the word so that all young people could realize that we're in control and that we need to be heard. So I'm really glad that I participated because it opened my eyes to a lot of new things. I met a lot of solid people, and I'm going to continue to be involved. |
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Friday, 07 November 2008 14:11 |
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I am a Young Democrat of America and My Voice will be Heard! My name is Merissa Magdael-Lauron; I am 17 years-old and my huge family and I were born and raised in Stockton, California. I am a Filipina-American and proud to live in the city marked as the Little Manila historical site for once being the most populated city of Filipinos in the nation. I am currently a senior at Cesar Chavez High School and I plan to go to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts to major in Music Composition. So why did I become a Young Democrat of America and volunteer for the 2008 campaign? The truth is, when the presidential campaign began, I really didn’t care who would be the Republican Nominee or the Democrat Nominee. Personally, I just wanted someone different from George W. Bush, someone who would make a difference and a change, regardless the political party they represented. I didn’t want the next eight years of my life to be the same as the last, especially because I am going to college next year and starting a new chapter in my life. It was not until the Vice-President Nominee was announced for the Republican Party that I realized I had to get off my behind and make sure that Gov. Sarah Palin never stepped anywhere near the White House. The first time I saw her on television I knew she wasn’t picked for her intelligence in politics or her political experience; I was so angry at how stupid this political move was just to get media attention for McCain. Governor Sarah Palin was literally a heart-beat away from becoming President of the United States and I could not let that happen or so-help-me-God. So that is when I became highly involved in the campaign and made it my life goal to help Obama and the Democrats win the election. I began with phone banking from the Barack Obama website calling battle ground states and then I found myself at the Young Democratic headquarters in Stockton with my friends and that is when the real excitement began. I gave it my all, going in to volunteer every chance I got because I knew that this was the most important presidential election of all time for the future of America and in the end it was all worth it. It was amazing to see all types of people from all over the community come together and work as a team for the same purpose. It is an experience that I will never forget and it has inspired me to keep standing up for what I believe in and I will continue to support Barack Obama in any way I can. However, with every victory there is a tragedy. I am so devastated that Proposition 8 was passed. I hate the fact that churches paid millions of dollars to support Prop 8 when that money could have been used to feed the hungry, aid the helpless, or something more beneficial to the world. This issue is about equality for all and everyone deserves equal rights. Gay marriage will not be part of the education curriculum because we don’t even learn “traditional” marriage in school. If rapists, adulterers, and murderers are allowed to get married...then why can’t gay people? Prop 8 is prejudice and unfair. God’s love is unconditional and I highly doubt He’ll keep people away from Heaven just because they’re gay. |
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Thursday, 06 November 2008 22:45 |
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I'm Aric, 21 years old, and was totally ready to vote in my first presidential election ever. Constantly combing the internet and checking polls, watching speeches, and reading articles gradually led me to believe that somehow I had to make more of a difference than simply casting my vote. Thankfully, a fellow team of Young Democrats caught me on my way back to my home-sweet-home apartment at the University of the Pacific campus where I go to college. Inspired by their actions -- young people like me beating the streets to get out the youth vote -- I was ready to devote every bit of time I could into making sure California stays blue. I worked a good 9 hour day on weekdays at my internship, and then went straight to the office, where I decked out in my Young Voter Revolution gear and dedicated the rest of my day to help ensure the largest young voter turnout possible. On weekends I still gave my all. The most awesome part about the whole thing is, I can't believe how fun volunteering is! It's amazing, the way you feel when you walk into a room and everyone is as excited as you are about making a difference in your community. The amount of support is just phenomenal, I felt like what I did really mattered. Sure, there are some rough times. You see nay-sayers, grouches, rude people, people who ignore you altogether, some flat-out apathetic people even. But for me: what kept me coming back is seeing young men and women pledging their vote, and knowing that with every pledge signed, I made a difference. To me, nothing is more gratifying and empowering than that, which is why I'm not going to stop. America deserves more than just my vote. |
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Thursday, 06 November 2008 22:33 |
 My name is Michael Emde, and I'm a college student. I come from Placerville in El Dorado County north of Sacramento, CA. I moved down here to Stockton to live with my older brother for a semester. I'm one of those individuals who can grow by new experiences, but the thing is, I'm not an extremely "outgoing person," but none-the-less somehow I end up "going out" anyways. I'm sort of a risk-taker...or at least my brother says I am. Walking out of Spanish class one Friday afternoon I saw an older dude with glasses holding a clipboard just a few feet away from me. He was standing in the direction I was headed. I was hesitant to walk any further but I took one or two steps, and then he took two or three. My thoughts were, "Oh, no these students with clipboards are EVERYWHERE on campus now days....what does this guy want? Money? For me to sign up for a club? My soul? What?!?" But he just introduced himself and he had something of a good vibe, and he asked me what I was concerned about this election. I mentioned the war in Iraq and the environment. He said, "Well, everything you mentioned to me sounds like the Democratic party." And that's when he told me about the pledge to vote. I felt sort of skeptical about it all--but that's only natural, right? I began to ask him questions of what they were about and what was going on politically. He ended his response with, "Well, if you volunteer you can find out more and we can fill you in on all kinds of stuff. You can be flexible in your hours, too." That was when I decided to take a risk, because my curiosity got the better of me. Also the thought of joining something important felt like it could be worth-while. My experiences had its ups and down and confusion...but that's what happens when you go around asking random people to sign something. To say the least--it was challenging. By doing this I got to see parts of Stockton I probably never would have to got to. One time, going street teaming, my group and I ended up in front of City Hall when people were getting ready to march while chanting, "Obama! Obama!" and carrying signs and wearing t-shirts. I began to learn why people feel so strongly about politics. While I do not consider myself a political person, instead more of a psychological and theological person, but I have realied that these things really are parallel to politics.
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