What do we know about New Haven, Connecticut?
New Haven is the 6th largest city in New England and one of the largest in Connecticut, second only to Bridgeport. New Haven was founded in 1636 by English Puritans and one year later, eight streets were laid out in a four by four grid, creating what's now commonly known as "The Nine Square Plan." New Haven is also home to the Ivy League school Yale University, which is an integral part of New Haven's economy as the biggest tax payer and employer of the city.
Each summer when most classes at Yale University are on a summer hiatus, The Yale Law school is home to a small group of very select women from around the United States and other parts of the world who aspire to be top political leaders. Together they attend an elite exclusive and intensive training program through the Women's Campaign School at Yale University. After a stringent screening and application process, the newly accepted Class of 2013 was recently announced and one soon to be Alumna is Southwest Florida's April Freeman, the Democrat Candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Florida's 19th District.
The Women's Campaign School at Yale University is a non-partisan, issue neutral leadership program, whose mission is to increase the number and influence of women in elected and appointed office in the United States and around the globe. Many participants in the Class of 2013 already sit across the aisle from one another in state legislatures around the country, while others are political leaders from capitals around the world.
Deb Solfield a current speaker and President of Directors for the Women's Campaign School at Yale says: The most important thing I should tell you is, the attendee's were chosen. A lot of people apply every year and we have to really sift through to figure out who will change the world, and then we choose. The speakers are from both sides of the aisle and the chosen attendees are from both the sides of the aisle. If they can't do it here, they won't be able to do it in office. So this training has a primary focus on working together no matter what side of the aisle you sit on. We're unusual. We care about our attendee's and we know their name. This board knows who they are, the committee that put them here picked them because we could see from their individual path forward, a direction for success. We're about success. Politics is not for 2nd place. It's too expensive and it's lonely when you don't have success, so we're all about winning.
Every year, all in attendance learn the skills and strategies to run successful political campaigns and are put through an intense political immersion program designed to teach campaign skills, strategic assessment, and improvisation. The program brings experienced campaign operatives in to teach and to share their perspectives in a reflective manner. The elite participants leave with an unmatched experience in collaborative learning about the democratic political process and how to advance their careers in political life.
April Freeman is looking for the experience to help make her a top leader as an elected official for southwest Florida. She leaves for New Haven in June and will be bringing her new skills home to southwest Florida in order to run a tough race in the 2014 Congressional race against incumbent United States House Representative Trey Radel from Florida's 19th District. April is excited at the possibility of sharing her experience with local women who are also looking to make a difference as aspiring elected officials in our community.
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