Since our founding in 2002, over 100,000 students have participated in AIDemocracy summits, conferences and campaigns. And they have gone on to do great things! Below is a sampling of what some of our alumni are up to:
Ryan Richards
What you’re doing now: I am the Executive Director of Nourish International, a student movement to address global poverty through social entrepreneurship and community based partnerships.
When / why you got involved with AIDemocracy: I was involved in AIDemocracy while an undergraduate at Juniata College.
Impact AIDemocracy had on you: AIDemocracy was one of many factors that helped me get where I am today in my career. Through AIDemocracy, I learned how to be a change maker, discovering my own power and learning tools to take action.
Reflections on the power of youth: My advice for students working on global issues today would be to not neglect your own personal development as a crucial component to transforming the world. You need to approach this work with audacity and a drive to make change, as well as humility and openness to having a dialogue and conversation. As youth, we can show everyone that shared humanity is the tie that brings us all together.
Radeyah Hack
What you’re doing now: I’m a second year medical student at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
When / why you got involved with AIDemocracy: I got involved with AIDemocracy during a summer conference about U.S. – Muslim relations. I then started my own chapter at Stony Brook University in Long Island, focusing primarily on U.S.-Muslim relations work.
Impact AIDemocracy had on you: My involvement with AIDemocracy helped me develop leadership skills and empowered me to do something positive. AIDemocracy is one of the best resources for students interested in global issues, for people who have questions and a desire to do something positive. The staff is there to support your ideas.
Reflections on the power of youth: I think young people have power because we are optimistic. We are able to see the good in the world, and the potential for what human beings can be.
What’s your vision of the world in 2021? I would like to see a greater understanding between the US and Muslims. That’s going to help us move forward as a country and with our foreign policy. We should have more open dialogue about the Middle East, about how we interact with others, and about how Americans view Muslims. By doing this, the US can get to the point where we have a better approach to foreign policy and to Muslims.
Patrick Elliot
When / why you got involved with AIDemocracy: I participated in the very first class of Americans for Informed Democracy retreats that Seth organized at his parents’ house in Peach, Vt. What I liked about AIDemocracy was its focus on getting Americans to talk about our foreign policy post-9/11–to spark discussion about what we are doing abroad, including at that time the War in Iraq.
Impact that AIDemocracy had on you: Looking back at AID, I am fond of my experiences, networking, organizing events and foreign policy discussions. AID events helped me see a more open and just society, gearing me toward my career today.
Advice for other student activists: My advice for students and young professionals is to resist the urge to specialize too much. Pick a broader issue that you’re passionate about, and explore it from many different perspectives. See how it connects with other issues, and get really active in college and organize events. You will met great people, make great contacts, and get more invested in the issues that interest you. This really pays off for your future career.
Reflections on the power of youth: As young leaders, we bring a new perspective to foreign policy and should be listened to. We need politics that change and adapt to the times and that meet the needs both of Americans and people abroad. We bring new ideas that get people thinking, and help build new wisdom in the world.”
What’s your vision of the world in 2021? I would love to see the progress we saw in a lot of former Soviet countries in the 1990s, and would like to see countries in the Middle East carve out their own path and make progress towards becoming globally engaged societies that are responsible to their citizens. I also hope that Americans continue to have the important discussions they need to be having, not only when something like Libya or 9/11 occurs, but taking a broader look at what’s going on. They should see how a lot of the fundamental issues here–lack of transparency, problems we have in our own foreign policy–really support people abroad to influence their own future and create a government in a society that reflects their own interest.
Richard Lim
What you’re doing now: I am a former political appointee for the White House and the U.S. Department of Labor and have served at the Departments of State and Justice.
When / Why you got involved with AIDemocracy: I started working with AID as an undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego, where I helped start the university’s first chapter in 2004.
Best memories of working with AIDemocracy: At UCSD, we threw an event on U.S.-African relations that I believe made a real impact in the student community. We invited a number of leaders in the African community in San Diego, some of whom were refugees from the ethnic conflicts in the 1990s. AID facilitated the wonderful opportunity to meet individuals with profound life stories and experiences. As far as my stint as a blogger, I greatly enjoyed the webinars. They covered fascinating subjects and fostered healthy discussions that were open to all viewpoints, and I was most engaged by the webinars involving nuclear disarmament and the New START treaty.
Impact AIDemocracy had on you: During my undergraduate studies, AID allowed me to enhance my foreign policy credentials and provided me with much-needed relief from my academic coursework. Thanks to the opportunity AID provided to engage foreign policy issues in a tangible way, I gained a measure of credibility on the subject. Soon after my time at UCSD, I interned at the State Department, and AID played a crucial role in providing me with the foundational knowledge and confidence I needed to succeed at that internship.
Advice for other student activists: Always be persistent. It is a highly competitive field, and it’s easy to get discouraged in this environment, but everyone has something to contribute to the national debate.
Reflections on the power of youth: Youth have power because they will be in power one day. Each generation gets a part of history to define the times they live in and ours is no different. It is an inevitable task that history hands to each generation, and there is no guarantee that our generation will succeed.
What’s your vision of the world in 2021? In 2021, I hope and pray for a world that rejects the philosophy of relativism and embraces the importance of morality and virtue. Ultimately, every issue centers upon a fundamental matter of “right” and “wrong.” I believe that the philosophy of relativism, that which rejects the idea of an absolute right and wrong, has been a problematic development in modern society. Societies that fail to arrive at standards of morality will deteriorate on multiple levels (in terms of civil virtue and political participation, or within the basic unit of society–the family).
Philippe Nassif
What you’re doing now: I am currently working as an Advance Associate for the White House as part of President Obama’s Advance Team. My job is to set up secure everything for the President before he arrives at his next destination. Prior to working on the Advance team, I briefly worked at the Center for American Progress in Washington D.C.
When / Why you got involved with AIDemocracy: I got involved with AIDemocracy in 2004 when I was an undergraduate at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. I went to a conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico hosted by the Stanley Foundation and co-sponsored by AID, where I met Seth Green, the founder of your organization. Seth wanted me to help expand his organization in the South since I was a student in Texas, and I started attending more private events through AID. I soon started a chapter at St. Thomas, and after a year or two working with the organization I became a regional director.
Best memories of working with AIDemocracy: My best experience while working for AID was putting on a US-Muslim relations conference at St. Thomas, an event that was highly successful with about 200 people in attendance. Sarah Bush helped me put on the event, and AID made it very easy for a full-time college student to organize it. They provided me with handouts for the conference and followed through with everything necessary to arrange and put on this event.
What you learned from working with AIDemocracy: One of the most important things I learned by working with AID was how to implement its mission of educating Americans on global issues. I learned how to talk to people that were not interested or did not realize they should be interested in global issues about these topics. Helping people understand these problems often involved simplifying foreign policy and other complex issues, and this skill has helped me greatly in my career thus far. AID trains many young people to develop these skills, and I think it is one of the most valuable things they can take away from the experience.
Impact AIDemocracy had on you: Working with AID taught me valuable organizing and coalition building skills through the summer training camps put on by the organization. When I was involved with AID, Seth sent me to meetings all over Washington D.C., and those experiences taught me how to talk to donors and other major players in the D.C. nonprofit world. The skills I developed through these meetings were incredibly valuable during my future career in Washington.
Advice for other student activists: I think students need to realize that they should reach out to existing organizations on campus as part of trying to start their own. They should find an organization with similar goals that fit with their message, and then forge bonds with other student leaders that will make their own organization much more successful. This kind of coalition building increases the credibility of their organization and will draw more attention to the issue they are working for. Students should also be very knowledgeable about their issue, as this will allow them to simplify their message and relate it to the challenges of everyday Americans.
Reflections on the power of youth: I think young people have a lot of power and that students who work at AID can continue to make a difference later in their career. Although it may seem out of reach now, students involved with AID could end up on Capitol Hill working for a senator or congressman. When lobbyists come in, these former AID workers will remember their experiences working with the organization and point out these issues to the politicians they are working for. The skills you develop and issues you work on at AID can actually be very relevant to your future career.
What’s your vision of the world in 2021? In 2021, I would like to see a more multi-racial US, one in which minorities have greatly advanced in the public service realm. I think President Obama is establishing a path for minorities to take on public service positions, and such advancement of minorities would help rid the country of much social and economic inequality. I also hope climate change becomes a more widely discussed issue over the next decade, and I think it would benefit greatly if environmentalists took a new approach to the issue.
Sarah Frazer
What you’re doing now: After leaving my position as Global Development Campaign Coordinator with AIDemocracy in July 2010, I have been spending time getting back to the roots of my interest in sustainable development: community. I’ve been working for “green” local businesses, studying permaculture, supporting organic farmers markets and getting my hands dirty in various urban gardening projects.
When / Why you got involved with AIDemocracy: I first got involved with AIDemocracy in 2006, after having spent a year studying abroad in Mexico and Brazil. A chapter had been started on my campus the year before, and at the time, it was the only on-campus outlet encouraging students to talk about the role of US foreign policy on issues like global poverty. I attended my first Young Global Leaders Summit in D.C. that summer, contacted my chapter presidents and organized a panel discussion on international trade that fall. I organized a second event, a popular education workshop on international financial institutions, in the spring. That summer, I participated in my first lobby day as a result of an AIDemocracy scholarship to the CARE Conference.
Best memories of working with AIDemocracy: As a student, my best memory was bringing outspoken organizers and advocates from organizations like the 50 Years Is Enough Network, Friends of the Earth and Jubilee USA to my relatively isolated, conservative, Southern campus. As AIDemocracy staff, my best memory was supporting students in discovering and exercising their political power, and linking them with movement building spaces such as the US Social Forum.
What you learned from working with AIDemocracy: As a student, I learned to push myself beyond my comfort zone and speak up. Issues of poverty, exploitation and our country’s role in perpetuating these realities are simply too important and too urgent to be keeping quiet simply because you’ve got stage fright. Face your fears! There are people facing much worse in this world. As AIDemocracy staff, I had the opportunity to learn from so many incredible people organizing against injustice in their communities, in their countries, and in the world. I learned that organizing is about more than a successful event, or even a campaign win. It’s about building community: communities that know each other, care about each other and are willing to defend each other and organize together, so that no one is left fighting these battles on their own.
Impact AIDemocracy had on you: The confidence and momentum I felt working with AIDemocracy as a student led me to apply for a staff position. I wanted to play the support role for the next generation of global thinkers itching to have an impact, and I got the job! My years in D.C. taught me a lot about organizing, but also challenged me to reconsider the phrase, “Think globally. Act locally,” and whether I was actually doing enough to act locally. After two years of working with a national network, my compass is shifting towards a rekindled interest in community rootedness (see John Cavanaugh and Robin Broad’s “Finding Rootedness” blog for more). Regardless of your issue, or your niche in the movement, the principles of organizing are the same, and I am grateful for all that I learned through my experiences with AIDemocracy.
Advice for other student activists: 1) Take a look at other organizations out there (both on and off campus). Attend their meetings, get to know their people. Survey the terrain. If there’s a group you like, join them. If there’s not, talk with friends about starting your own. 2) Do some research on different types of community organizing: direct service, self-help, education, advocacy, direct action. It’s important to know which type you’re engaging in and its potential for actually solving the problem. Does your approach create concrete improvements in people’s lives? Does it give people a sense of their own power? Does it challenge or accept existing power relations?3) Always keep at least one friend who’s more radical than you. I know it sounds funny, but they’ll keep you on your toes with a healthy dose of critical self-reflection.
Reflections on the power of youth: I think the power of youth lies in our ability to envision a world in which many worlds fit (a term coined by the EZLN). The number of US students studying abroad has more than doubled in the past ten years. As that number increases, so does the number of young people who see the world through a diversified lens, who understand that our interests are inextricable from those of our neighbors around the world. Youth are open-minded, optimistic, energetic and willing to try new things—whether it be talking about a new issue on campus or organizing a creative direct action to win their campaign. WE all have power; it’s simply a matter of realizing it and beginning to exercise it.
What’s your vision of the world in 2021? By 2021, I would like to see a move from an extractive economy to what Shannon Hayes describes as a “life-serving economy,” where the goal is to generate a living for all, rather than a killing for a few, where our resources are sustained, our waters are kept clean, our air pure, and families can lead meaningful and joyful lives. In my 2021, the quest for power would be outdated; more people would recognize our interdependence and work together to create socially just, ecologically sustainable communities. We would also have more communities practicing participatory democracy, things like participatory budgeting and cooperative management.
Alma Rayner
What you’re doing now: I am a rising senior double majoring in Peace and Global Studies and Comparative Languages and Linguistics at Earlham College, a small liberal arts school in Richmond, Ind.
How did you get involved with AIDemocracy? I first heard about AIDemocracy during the spring of my freshman year, and I joined them as a Youth Global Peace and Security Advocate soon after, and I became a Regional Coordinator as a sophomore. Starting this spring, I served as an Issue Analyst, blogging about my study abroad experience in Peru.
Best memories of working with AIDemocracy: I especially enjoyed my time working as a Regional Coordinator for AIDemocracy, as it allowed me to get involved with AIDemocracy chapters in the area and other active, globally aware students. As a Regional Coordinator, I met a lot of students concerned about the same issues as myself and felt more deeply involved in the organization’s work.
What you learned from working with AIDemocracy: Working with AIDemocracy was a very valuable experience because it gave me much greater confidence in my abilities, allowing me to prove to myself that I was capable of playing a major role in youth activist movements surrounding global issues. Although I was always interested in pressing global issues, my time as Regional Coordinator in particular gave me confidence in my own abilities as a student organizer and leader. It also exposed me to all the resources available for students looking to get involved in these issues, something that I may have missed without working with AIDemocracy.
Advice for other student activists: My best advice is to seek out information about the issues you care about from credible sources such as BBC and Al Jazeera. Students looking to get involved need to take the first step and talk to someone at their school or in their community who cares about similar issues as them. It is surprising how many of the people right around you may have a background in the very issues you care about.
Reflections on the power of youth: In the US, I think it is very difficult for youth to reach the highest levels of the political system, but if young people work together I think it is possible to exert a lasting influence on the government. If we can find a way to gain greater influence in the political system, we can use that power to work for the important issues young people truly care about. The great turnout among youth in the 2008 Presidential elections is evidence that youth really can influence the highest levels of power.
What’s your vision of the world in 2021? In 2021, I would like to see a lot more initiatives centered on global issues at both the national and grassroots level.In particular, I would like to see movements around alternative economies such as those seen in Latin America, as I think it could greatly improve issues such as US foreign aid and disaster relief.
Katelyn Moga
What you’re doing now: I’m a rising senior at Westminster College, but this summer I spent seven weeks as a summer organizer for UNITE HERE! Local 57 Hospitality Union. For the last few weeks of summer I’m working as a research assistant for my sociology professor.
How did you get involved with AIDemocracy? I first got involved with AIDemocracy when I became a Regional Coordinator in 2010.
Best memories of working with AIDemocracy: My campus is not as involved in the social justice movement as I would like, so getting to attend different conferences and trainings held by AIDemocracy allowed me to meet other student activists and learn how to encourage activism on my campus. I was fortunate enough to receive a grant from AIDemocracy to attend the 2011 CARE Conference in Washington, D.C. last spring and that experience completely changed my outlook on activism, as it encouraged me to push for campaigns on my own campus and provided me with the necessary skills to do so.
Impact AIDemocracy had on you: My internship at UNITE HERE! focused on community organizing, so my experience with AIDemocracy was very relevant and directly helpful. Last August, I went through an intensive organizer training provided by AIDemocracy for all the Regional Coordinators. I used the skills that I learned, such as how to introduce my message and tell my story to students that I wanted to organize around a certain cause, every day at my internship. My experience organizing students for AIDemocracy events–both on and off campus–are what I believe helped me get the internship in the first place.
Advice for other student activists: I would suggest that anyone who is interested in working around global issues dive right in and get involved in any way that they can. No matter what issue you are interested in, you will be able to find a way to help, whether you only have a few hours a month or a few dollars to give or you want to devote your life to service, you can find a program that suits your interests. No matter what you choose, I guarantee that you will learn more and get more experience than you ever thought you would, all while meeting some amazing people along the way.
What is the best way for students to organize? I believe that the most effective way for students to organize is to use the best tool that they have: their youth. Students have the best opportunity to create social change, as they have networks of people ready, time to devote and true idealism to help them leave their impact on the world.
How have your ideas regarding student activism evolved after this internship? My confidence in students’ ability to bring about change has absolutely changed as I was around student campaigns that were making changes each and every day. I saw student groups come together and get massive corporations and ivy league colleges to step back and make the right choices. Being exposed to that level of activism was unbelievably moving and life- changing for me.
What’s your vision of the world in 2021? In 2021, I want the world to be more balanced. I would like to see more countries rising to the level of development that the United States has enjoyed for so many years, and I would like to see the US contribute more to the development of the countries. The greatest element of that development, I believe, is working toward a world in which everyone has the right to clean water, access to food and at least a sixth grade education. I think that my vision can be achieved by erasing apathy and calling for action that promotes real, pragmatic change in which we are thinking sustainably.
