Why I'm excited about 2012 and 2016 and 2020...

Around 6pm, this picture was sent to my cellphone. It was sent by my younger sister in California, who had just voted in her first presidential election. For the rest of the night, we called and text messaged each other as she kept me up to date on how some major California propositions turned out and I tried to describe the craziness that is Washington, DC on election night.

I have been incredibly proud of my sister throughout the election season as I watched her research candidates and become invested in the election by volunteering for campaigns that she believed in. I've been thinking about her a lot lately as I've watched youth and young adults in my neighborhood show more excitement, dedication and knowledge about this election than I have ever seen before.

Here is a small sample of some interactions that I had that make me particularly hopeful for the future:

• Overhearing a group of highschool students in a heated discussion over which candidate has a better economic plan.
• Seeing 13 and 14 year old kids wearing campaign buttons around my neighborhood
• Riding the metro home from work on election day and overhearing a conversation between two young adults that are seated in front of me. The woman asks the man who he voted for and he says he didn't vote. "Well, you have to!" she replies, "Let's go right now!"
• Hearing that the fish market a block from my house was packed with teenagers on the final debate night, who were all attentively watching the TV.

As I listened to my sister laugh about the election results that went her way, and cry about the ones that didn't, I knew that this election wasn't a one time event for her and that she would continue to be active in her government not just on election day, but every day. I have faith that the youth and young adults who were enchanted by this historic election have now begun a lifetime of active and informed citizenship.

And what about those teenagers that walked to the local fish shop so that they could watch the debates?

In four years, they will all be able to vote.

I cannot wait to see what they do.

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lazy summer days

In case you hadn't noticed by all of the summer reading lists, DC gets pretty empty around August. When I moved here last year, one of the things that surprised me the most was how quiet everything became in the summer. I always knew that Congress took August off, but I had no idea how much that would affect the rest of the city. Offices take shorter hours and study/volunteer groups all go on hiatus. My usually vibrant church seemed particularly empty yesterday with the gospel choir on break and about half of the parishioners gone. I don't remember summers being so quiet for non-students anywhere else that I've lived. For the rest of my life, 'adult summer vacations' will be magical, strange things that I'll associate with Washington, DC.

Because I'm the field intern instead of a lobbying intern, I'm probably not feeling the summer lag quite as much as some of my FCNL colleagues, but the days are still a little quiet. I've been enjoying having more time to work on long term projects, clean off my desk (!) and of course, post on the intern blog. I have to admit, though, that having extra time on our hands can sometimes lead to some mischief for the FCNL interns. This morning, Jr. Intern, Kamala and I had a little too much fun playing with a globe beach ball that we found in the storage room.

However, our office mischief is nothing compared to what our colleagues and friends at the UUA Washington Office Of Advocacy pulled last night. To welcome their new Acting Director (and former intern) Adam to his new position, the interns stayed up all night filling his office with balloons. 580 balloons, to be precise. While certain FCNL interns and former interns have been known pranksters (Sharon, Dan and Nick come to mind) I'm afraid this beats anything I've seen at my time at FCNL. So, FCNL interns, former interns and staff, what's been the best prank that you've seen pulled in the office? Non-FCNL staffers: what's the summer work culture like wherever you are? I hope it's as fun as it is here!

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2007-2008 Program Assistants Arrive at FCNL's Green Building

A new class of Program Assistants has arrived at 245 Second St NE. We represent a range of ages and backgrounds, as well as diverse regions of the world. We come from France, Oregon, California, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, Rhode Island and New Jersey, and all of us are new to DC.

A picture of FCNL’s program assistants, including three 2nd year PAs:

Clockwise from the top: Danny Hosein, Dan Allen, Nick Bauer, Claire Valentin, Caroline Anderson, Chris Bracken, Maureen Brookes, Joelle Maruniak, Kate Gould, Trevor Keck, Devin Helfrich and Sharon Franklet.

From reading this blog I assume that you are all familiar with Maureen, Devin and Chris, but here’s a bit about the rest of us (in our own words, full biographies available on FCNL’s website):

Danny Hosein joined FCNL in the summer of 2007 as the organization’s first Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow. He discovered his love of politics and activism in San Antonio, where he helped coordinate a relief drive after the South Asian tsunami and a movement encouraging divestment from Sudan on campus. In his free time, Danny enjoys watching sports, reading, volunteering and meteorology.

Born in Waterloo, IA, Dan Allen spent his entire childhood in the great state of Iowa. His interest in politics was spurred by his participation in high school debate and he subsequently volunteered for local congressional and presidential campaigns. In his free time, Dan enjoys consuming (and playing) many sports, traveling, and working on his Spanish.

Nick Bauer comes to FCNL from Rhode Island, where he graduated from Brown University in May of 2007. A “Convinced Friend,” Nick began attending Meetings for Worship with his family in 1997 and is currently a member of Westport Monthly Meeting in Massachusetts. In his free time, Nick enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee, reading anything he can get his hands on, biking, hiking, sporting argyle socks, and culinary experimentation.

Claire Valentin is originally from Lyon, France and she loves to travel. After graduating from Brown University she traveled across Romania by car with her father- a Romanian native. Most recently, she has visited St. Petersburg and Moscow with her parents, her brother and her little sister. Until the next trip, Claire is exploring the charming streets of D.C. and enjoying the enchanting world of Capitol Hill.

Caroline Anderson came to FCNL in July 2007, after graduating from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in History. She is excited to explore DC, and in her free time enjoys reading in the park, watching movies, and hunting for good restaurants. She has also recently discovered a passion for strategic grocery shopping.

Prior to coming to FCNL, Joelle Maruniak served as a full-time AmeriCorps volunteer in rural Colorado where she split her time working in a homeless shelter and a homelessness prevention program. When she is not working, Joelle enjoys playing the flute and piano, reading, running, and practicing her Spanish.

Kate Gould is greatly inspired by Quaker principles, which she learned from her many years as a camper and counselor in the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Camping Program. Kate also loves wilderness adventures, practicing her Swahili, and exploring the vast networks of cultural diversity in Washington D.C.

Trevor Keck comes to FCNL from San Diego, California. He has traveled in Europe and Morocco, and is proficient in French. During his free time, he enjoys reading, watching films, playing ultimate frisbee, speaking French, traveling, and lounging in quirky coffee shops.

Sharon Franklet came to FCNL's Native American advocacy program in September 2007 from central California, where she worked as a botanist at Pinnacles National Monument. Now in DC, she likes its friendliness, arts, and greenery --yes, the plants!-- as well as the time zone ease of making evening calls to the West Coast.

We’re still settling into our new jobs and homes, but have already delved into the world of Capitol Hill. On Friday we finished three weeks of training, and are full of fresh ideas about how FCNL approaches its work and how to help the organization achieve its goals. Look to this blog as a chronicle of the next 12 months, as we learn more about FCNL, DC, and how to change policy. Hopefully we will offer a new perspective on Washington insider politics. We can’t wait to share our thoughts with you!