Next Generation Lead Activists Get Intensive Training in St. Louis

CWA Next Generation Lead Activists converged on St. Louis recently for an intensive two-day training to hone their organizing skills. Eight young leaders from across the country met with CWA organizers Erin Mahoney and Pia Basudev, who helped them strategize about building the Next Gen program in their districts and sectors. The Leads who attended included Krystle Cook (AFA-CWA, Council 30), Victoria Fisher (District 1, Local 1037), Allana Galloway (District 7, Local 7250), John Gorant (District 2-13, Local 13000), Beth Kramer (TNG-CWA, Local 34071), Idelisa Pino (District 3, Local 3104), Darren Ramos (NABET-CWA, Local 51017), and Kelli Williams (District 4, Local 4004).

The activists gathered for sessions that addressed the unique challenges of organizing members aged 35 and under. They learned how to identify and speak to young members’ concerns and exchanged ideas about what works and what doesn’t work when trying to inspire young people to become more active in the movement. All the participants shared strategies for connecting with workers whose responses often begin with “yeah, but," as in “yeah, but I can’t get involved because . . .”

"I really appreciated the opportunity to learn about what the other Lead Activists are doing in their locals to build the Next Gen network,” said Victoria Fisher of Local 1037 in Newark, New Jersey. “I'm excited to try out some of the successful tactics that my fellow Leads are working on in the field.”

Mahoney and Basudev discussed the importance of reaching out through social media and experimenting with non-traditional methods of organizing such as the Fast Food Forward campaign to organize low-wage service workers in the restaurant industry.

Participants said they were energized by a break-out discussion of current CWA organizing efforts, such as the American Airlines campaign, which could benefit from support from Next Gen members.

Darren Ramos, a NABET member from Hartford, Connecticut, joined other Leads in praising the training and the camaraderie. “I really appreciated the chance to collaborate with the other Lead Activists in St. Louis. The training gave me some tools and strategies that I'm going to implement in my local, and the feedback from my fellow Leads has already helped me hone my presentation skills."

Next Generation members will meet for a Summit in Pittsburgh, PA, this summer. To learn more about the Summit, click here.