A girls' political club is currently in the making and maybe coming to the high desert really soon!
Caitlynn Kelley is currently a junior at University Preparatory in Victorville, California. She has been working on starting this political club for a while and is really excited to see where it can go. From a young age, Caitlynn was exposed to politics. She's learned that there is still a barrier keeping many girls from participating more in politics. By creating this club she hopes many more girls will become a lot more involved politically in their communities.
When asking her for her inspiration behind starting the club she said the following:
"My family, especially on my dad’s side is very political. I was exposed to my father’s political beliefs at a young age. I started becoming politically involved when I was in 7th grade. I have always wanted to create a group where ALL girls of different backgrounds (ethnic, racial, religious, etc) can come together and be able to discuss different social and political matters civilly. Civil discourse with politics and any other subject is very important to me. I dislike how you see others from different political leanings get so angry with each other when they disagree... I hope that this group will help increase girl’s understanding of what’s happening in the US and other countries."
Caitlynn admitted that starting this club was her idea, but that she also has her mother's and her mother's colleagues' guidance. Caitlynn also stated that all girls are welcome regardless of their age: "I’m open to all ages, but so far the applicants are all teenagers, due to getting involved through political social media posts or other factors."
The club would run in an open forum format. People will discuss what they think of something and people can add to the discussion. Girls from all political leanings are welcome: "All political leanings are welcome in our club. Being open minded and learning about different political views is very important in becoming well-versed politically. What a typical meeting would look like is still under revision, but here are some ideas that I’ve come up with. I would create a power point for each week on a topic that does or doesn’t correspond to what is happening each week. We will go over this topic and it depends on which topic it is for how much time we’ll spend on it. We will all vote on which topic we want to learn more about. On top of that, we will all have a chance to discuss different political events (US and all over the world). I want to encourage the members in our group to not be shy and speak out about their beliefs. This club will focus on developing confidence and good speaking skills."
For now, Caitlynn is unsure when the club will be able to start, but has a group chat in which she updates the members of the progress on the club.
If you are interested in joining or know someone interested in joining, contact: @pinkseastar67 on Instagram!
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