Young Democrats Club Appears at GCS
Featured Image: Manhattan Young Democrats
The newest club coming to Grace this year is the Young Democrats Club. This club, founded by Lola J. ‘22 and Henry Pallesen ‘21, will focus on giving people with Democratic political views a place to discuss specific political issues facing the nation. It will also teach its members about the progressive policies being implemented across the state as a whole, and how those policies are being utilized on a more local level.
Political Party-based clubs in New York schools are not a recent development. Most schools have them, and ours is one of the latest schools to create one. Their purpose, in the words of the Young Democrats club: is to “engage, educate, and empower young people to get involved in the political process and affect change in the world. We’re raising money, training our members, and campaigning in districts that have been red for too long. You can help. All you have to do is stand up and let your voice be heard.” The Manhattan Young Democrats also believe that it is crucial to take action, so it tries to make all of its chapters across the city participate in protests such as the climate protest last year. The club also puts a large emphasis on recruiting new members, and with this coming election, is putting an even larger focus on the importance of voting since New York is ranked the fourth lowest in voter turnout.
Lola came up with the idea for the young democrats club after noticing Grace was one of the few schools that didn’t have one. She decided to begin it with Henry, and now only a month later, the club has fifteen members. After the first few meetings, Lola said the main issues that they have been discussing have been, “polls, candidates, policies, the electoral map, [and] volunteer opportunities, as well as showing people in the club how to reach out to a campaign.” The Young Democrats club is meant to be a space for people with progressive views to discuss their ideas and take action on them, and with what they have been discussing lately it seems as if they are on track to achieving what they set out to do.