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Running & Winning 2017 Recap

Thank you to everyone who volunteered and donated to the Running and Winning 2017 workshop! It was a huge success!
The League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha, in partnership with UNO’s Service Learning Academy, held the sixth edition of the biennial Running and Winning workshop on Oct. 25, 2017.

For the workshop, we invited women who are current or past elected officials to share their expertise with young future leaders.  The high school girls were able to interview approximately 5 elected officials about life in politics.  After the interviewing sessions, the girls worked in small groups to produce a campaign speech and slogan. They then presented their position on a public policy issue to the audience.  The public policy issue this year was Voter ID law.

Students participating in Running & Winning 2017.
Students participating in Running & Winning 2017.

 

Approximately 49 girls from four high schools (Omaha Central High School, Omaha South High School, Westside High School and Northwest High School) attended the workshop.

The elected officials who participated in Running & Winning 2017.

 

The elected officials that were able to attend were Anne McGuire (OPPD Board of Governors), Carol McBride Pirsch (former State Senator), Terrilyn Quick (La Vista City Council), Diane Battiato (Douglas County Assessor/Register of Deeds), Carol Blood (State Senator), Sue Crawford (State Senator), Lorraine Chang (Learning Community Coordinating Council Chair), Brenda Council (former State Senator), Lou Ann Linehan (State Senator), Aimee Melton (Omaha City Council), and Jill Woodward (Learning Community Council).
UNO Professor Shaughnnesy’s honors public speaking course also helped with the event.  The students helped create background briefs and pro/con list about Voter ID law, facilitate the interviews with the elected officials, and guide the girls during their mock campaign planning.  The facilitators included Chandler Brtek, Aidan Posey, Shelby Rice, Simon Saqueton, Alex Swanson, and Abby Williamson.  Additional facilitators from LWV included Dorris Heaston, Chelsey Erpelding, Deb McCollister, Meg Mandy, and Annabelle Abiset.
The high school girls were divided into 12 teams to create their mock campaign regarding Voter ID law.  All teams campaigned against Voter ID law.  Each team was judged on its campaign slogan, speech, and poster.  The judges were Amber Barcel (Planned Parenthood), Taylor Givens-Dunn (UNO), Liz Codina (Nebraskans for Civic Reform), and Courtney Phillips (Nebraska DHHS).

After awards were given to the top scoring slogan, speech, and poster, UNO Service Learning students took the high school girls on a tour of UNO campus.

Students participating in Running & Winning 2017.
Students participating in Running & Winning 2017.

 

The high school participants really enjoyed the workshop and gained more favorable impressions of politicians and politics in general, based on their evaluations.  Thank you to all who volunteered and donated to this workshop.  It was a success!
For more photos, see our Facebook page.
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About Us

The League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 47-6025006). Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. The League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha does not endorse the contents of any web pages linked here.

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