November is quickly approaching, and our IGNITE the Vote Ambassadors are fully activated! On August 14, IGNITE the Vote Ambassadors from across the country descended on Las Vegas for the IGNITE the Vote Summit, an opportunity to build relationships, strengthen their organizing skills, and strategize on how to get out the vote in their communities during this vital election season and beyond. IGNITE the Vote ambassadors are student organizers who are getting the vote out at their schools and communities. “The whole purpose of us convening together is to activate the next generation to mobilize their peers, to register, to be educated,” shared IGNITE CEO Sara Guillermo.
Ambassadors participated in energizing breakout sessions to hone their relational organizing skills. They practiced communicating with their peers and community members about voting and voter registration. The exercise highlighted the importance of preparedness and active listening when having these conversations; it also taught Ambassadors how to personally connect with people, even when it initially seems that your life experiences are quite different.
Event Highlights
We welcomed our Summit scholarship recipients the night before with a special meet and greet featuring Assemblymember Selena Torres of Nevada, who affirmed that young women don’t need to fit the preconceived mold of who an elected official is in this country - instead, their unique experiences and backgrounds should be seen as a strength in their qualifications to lead! As the youngest woman elected to the Nevada State Assembly, she also expressed a strong desire to pass that title to the next generation. The Ambassadors’ eagerness to network was palpable. As they moved from table to table, enjoying a delicious meal and creating new connections, it was clear that the room was filled with go-getters who are ready to build relationships and create change.
Activist, strategist, and founder of GenZ Girl Gang, Deja Foxx, brought the energy on Wednesday morning with her opening keynote address. She encouraged attendees to think deeply about their “why” - and talked about what personally motivates her to keep going. “There is a place for each and every one of you in this movement - and we need you. As young people, you are uniquely positioned to take up a lot of interesting space,” Deja encouraged attendees.
Miss Nevada, Karrina Ferris, spoke from the heart about why encouraging young people to vote is her passion. Nevada is the only state with a women-led majority legislature, and while the women leaders in her state are making issues like reproductive health a top priority, we need young people across the country to come out and vote so that the same rights extend across the nation. Karrina said, “As we approach this election, let us stand together, empowered by our history and driven by our vision for the future. Let us honor the women who came before us by ensuring that their fight for equality is carried forward. Every vote counts, and I know that together, we can create momentous change in November."
Seasoned campaign communicator and Chairperson of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Democratic Caucus of Nevada, Angelyn Tabalba, trained participants on the messages she has found to successfully cut through the noise and resonate with Gen Z. She led a robust Q&A and shared practical tactics the Ambassadors can use to communicate effectively with their peers.
IGNITE’s Advocacy Director, Jocelyn Yow, and Civic Engagement Coordinator, Julia Perrotta, helped the Ambassadors design their campus-specific Day of Action events. With 41 million Gen Zers eligible to vote this fall, Ambassadors must meet them where they’re at by designing voter engagement experiences that will work best for their peers.
The event closed with a panel featuring Miss Texas, Annette Addo-Yobo, and Mana Shooshtari, Scheduler for the U.S. House of Representatives and IGNITE alum. They brought the event to an inspiring and invigorating conclusion by discussing how Ambassadors can connect with, motivate, and mobilize their peers this election and beyond.
From panels to breakout groups, from social media challenges to selfies in the adorable Vegas Love Bus, the IGNITE the Vote Summit was about community. It was about knowing that we are not alone in wanting to make a change - and that we have tremendous strength when we come together. IGNITE CEO Sara Guillermo shares, “This moment is so critical because we are deciding what our futures are going to look like, and so igniting the vote, for this group of Ambassadors, to go back into their 25 different states, which means so many communities, is just going to be a multiplier effect across the country.”
Click here to learn more about IGNITE the Vote and how you can get involved. If you would like to help young women get out the vote this November and create a more equitable political landscape for all, please click here to donate.