Jane Dawson

Over the course of the summer, I had the extraordinary privilege of collaborating with the Minnesota Youth Collective. MNYC was founded in 2018 and is led entirely by young people ages 18-35. I entered MNYC during their strategic planning process. Through this process, MNYC identified a need to become a member-driven, or base-building, organization that prioritized individual leadership development with a long-term goal of member leadership. Within the next year, members will set legislative priorities, decide who to endorse, and lead their own community campaigns with unwavering support from MNYC. I lead the organizational shift towards that goal, facilitating all-staff and senior leadership conversations, building out all documentation required to make this shift, and consistently advocating for MNYC’s growing membership base. I also developed and introduced strategies to grow MNYC’s membership in a sustainable manner. Emphasizing the significance of community-driven leadership strategies, I crafted a comprehensive training series for staff, campus organizers, and MNYC fellows to illustrate the power of community-driven leadership. This series will be used for internal onboarding, membership development, and political education . In addition, , I introduced an organization-wide framework designed to ensure that MNYC’s members will be informed of MNYC’s current work and  members feel a sense of ownership over the organization’s actions. As a part of this work, I lead the Base-Building Committee, consisting of Director-level staff, the Executive Director, and my supervisor.

Beyond leading MNYC’s base-building efforts, I also participated in MNYC’s coalition work. I collaborated with my supervisor to determine what coalition relationships will best support MNYC’s strategic plan and expanded membership in a meaningful way. I participated in MNYCs 2023 field plan designed to dramatically grow MNYC’s base via deep canvassing and an increased presence at events across the Twin Cities. 

As a co-founder of Maine Youth Power, a youth-led non-profit that focuses on growing the political power and education of rural young Mainers, working at Minnesota Youth Collective was a unique opportunity for me to transfer my rural organizing skills to a larger, more urban space. Minnesota Youth Collective’s willingness to share with me the benefits and drawbacks of the larger staff, budget, and different management structure was an incredible learning opportunity.

I am incredibly grateful for the support of my supervisor, Meghan Daly as well as the guidance and support of Sean Lim (Policy Director), Natalie Somerson (Advocacy Director), and the entirety of Minnesota Youth Collective’s staff.