Advocacy 

A member of this organization since 2022, serving as Vice President since 2023, I have spent my time as a leader of this group organizing projects, and events, and participating in legislative sessions to advocate for Gun Violence Prevention. 

My Work

During my tenure with East Students Demand Action, I've engaged in impactful initiatives at local, state, and federal levels. Key accomplishments include:

1. Legislative Advocacy: Testified in support of gun sense legislation, advocating for safe storage laws, concealed carry permits, assault weapons bans, and more.

2. Voter Registration Drives: Organized school-wide voter registration efforts since 2022, resulting in registering over 85% of eligible voters, with an anticipated increase to nearly 90% in 2024.

3. Safe Storage Awareness: Collaborated with school and district administration to promote safe storage practices for firearms and created a safety procedure video aimed at teenagers, leading to the development of a national toolkit for schools.

4. Students Demand Citywide Coalition: Assisted in planning and executing two forums addressing gun violence, engaging state representatives, city council members, and public officials.

5. Advocacy Days: Organized a walkout with over 2,000 participants advocating for Gun Violence Prevention, alongside participating in advocacy days with Moms Demand Action volunteers.

Impact

In my time with Students Demand Action, I believe my work has made a huge impact on not just my community, but Colorado, and the United States as a whole. In 2023, alongside the work of several other grassroots organizations, the Colorado legislature passed six new gun sense bills into law. These bills, ranging from a mandatory three-day waiting period after the purchase of a gun to raising the minimum gun purchase age to 21, were the start of a package of brilliant lifesaving bills that will keep guns out of the hands of children and others who are not fit to have a gun for years to come. Of course, there is still lots more work to do, but having these six laws in place will allow advocates to push for even stricter gun control measures and continue to form relationships with lawmakers and officials who represent us in the government. 

I believe my work with Students Demand Action has also motivated others to join the movement against gun violence in America. From the time that the chapter opened at my school to now we have gained over 150 members, becoming the biggest club in the Denver area. The growth of our club has also promoted other schools across Colorado to open chapters as well. The success of East's chapter has allowed me to mentor new chapters and provide them with resources and connections to help them succeed. Being able to give others the information I have about this organization and advocacy work is extremely fulfilling, and I hope that others new to this work feel supported by the community that we have created. 

Joining the Students Demand Action Training Team and Text Team in the 10th grade (2022) I have spent two years working to inform students, teachers, and other adults about important gun violence prevention topics and strategies. In the fall of 2024, I became a co-director of the training team, expanding my duties as a leader of the 90-person team through organizational, administrative, and strategic work. 

Objective

In my role as the co-director of the national training team, I conduct interviews and mentor new trainers, ensuring they are well-prepared and supported. I represent our team on the National Board, contributing insights and advocating for initiatives that strengthen our impact. I plan, organize, and schedule workshops to address the evolving needs of our participants. Additionally, I oversee content creation, ensuring high-quality materials are developed to support our training programs, and I lead monthly trainer meetings to align on goals, share updates, and foster collaboration across the team.

In my role as a trainer, I facilitate workshops 3-5 times per week. During the presidential election season, beginning around November of 2023, I have led a series of five key workshops aimed at educating volunteers and preparing them to become "election pros". The workshops are as follows:

1.) Intro to Supporting Gun Sense Candidates: how to support gun sense candidates, who they are, and why this is important. 

2.) Activating New Voters: focusing on registering and activating voters, especially young or newer voters. 

3.) Voter Contact Tactics: a key workshop focused on the tactics and skills you will need to support voters this election season as they make decisions and plans about how to vote. 

4.) Visibility: learning how to attend candidate events, working on bird-dogging skills, and making oneself known at an event.

5.) Level Up Your Elections Work: workshop for the volunteers who are ready to step up and lead one of these workshops for your own community to ensure as many people as possible are ready to take action.

In addition to this five-step workshop series, I facilitate workshops on election day activations as well as national welcome calls and national leadership calls that cover topics such as

1.) Phone-banking and Canvassing

2.) National Legislative Updates

3.) Debate Recaps and Forums 

4.) Vote Tripiling Techniques 

5.) Safety and Security as Activists 

Impact

Working with the National Training Team has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my gun violence prevention work. I have been able to meet hundreds of volunteers from around the country, some seasoned advocates, and some new to the movement. I have had the opportunity to educate students under the age of 25 and prepare them to be sucessful advocates.