Fron a speech I gave at this year’s Civics Days: My speech today was going to be about the theme of Generation Citizen, the notion of being an active citizen. The notion of working in your communities, using the democratic process, to make change. To make things better. This, after all, is what you did… Continue reading Being a Good Citizen…and a Good Person
Category: Blog
DCs of the Month
Looking back at April, a big month for us at GC as classes go deep into taking action, we’d like to recognize the following Democracy Coaches for their empowering work and dedication. NEW YORK DC OF THE MONTH: RINA KATTAN, STUDENT AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY What brought you to GC? After Rocky Solomon, a former… Continue reading DCs of the Month
My Obsession With The West Wing
I was biting my nails to see if President Bartlet would run for a second term or not. I cling to each word of Sam Seaborn’s speeches. I am definitely a Josh Lyman and Donna Moss fan. I am with CJ Cregg each time she steps up in front of the press corps. I did all of these… Continue reading My Obsession With The West Wing
Redefining American Power
One of the most fun parts about traveling, for me, is learning about other nations’ image of the United States. They range from the amusing (nobody uses plastic bags for grocery shopping, only blank brown paper bags) to the alarming (nearly everybody in Texas walks around with a gun in his or her back pocket).… Continue reading Redefining American Power
Boston is not Powerless
Everyone in Boston feels pretty powerless right now. We are stuck inside our homes. We can’t take the T. We can’t go to work. We can’t get a coffee. We don’t know if we are safe. As the Boston manager of an organization that specializes in empowering the powerless, I have a few thoughts about our powerlessness… Continue reading Boston is not Powerless
It’s Up to Us to Save Congress
Being the Executive Director of a non-profit that prides itself of non-partisanship, I take care to never be overtly partisan or political in public spaces, like this blog. But I am pretty pissed off about Congress voting down the gun control bill. And, actually, I think it is completely a non-partisan issue. Universal background checks… Continue reading It’s Up to Us to Save Congress
Disparate Leadership
Disparate Leadership A few weeks ago, at a conference for Draper Richards Kaplan Fellows, we were asked to define our own leadership styles. We were then told that if we really wanted to know what we were like as leaders, we should ask our employees, who would have a better sense of our strengths and… Continue reading Disparate Leadership
The Introverted Leader
As the Executive Director of a non-profit, I spend most of my days with my “game-face” on. I manage, and attempt to motivate, our team, I attempt to impress potential donors, I give speeches. I smile, I laugh, I engage. And then, at the end of the day, I’m utterly exhausted, and there’s nothing that… Continue reading The Introverted Leader
What Stresses You Out?
I think that my job is stressful. And I think that too many social entrepreneurs are not honest and open about how this stress manifests itself. For a variety of reasons, the “myth of the social entrepreneur” has emerged, tying itself essentially to the passionate, incredibly hard-working, charismatic individual that will do whatever they can… Continue reading What Stresses You Out?
Talking About Money
When I first started Generation Citizen, as a senior at Brown, my primary concern with making it a full-fledged non-profit was fundraising- I had no idea how to do it, and the concept seemed terrifying to me, especially in the midst of the financial collapse. The only reason that GC got off the ground (and… Continue reading Talking About Money