Activism

JSA has always prided itself on being a space for political activists and advocates to come together not only to talk about important issues, but to also lead the next generation into a future in politics. However, in the last three years, with the rise of the pandemic and the need to socially distance, JSA activists have been yearning for the chance to get involved once again. As we finally leave the era of COVID, I look forward to injecting activism back into JSA, bringing all of the joys of JSA back, and building JSA up to the height it once had. As the Midwest Director of Activism, I have first hand experience with getting involved, and ways that we can get chapters involved. Some of the policies that I look forward to incorporating include having monthly activism newsletters for chapters, holding activism fairs at our three yearly conventions, and creating a handbook for chapters to know where to start when they want to get involved. 

Debate

JSA is a political club so, of course, debate is a huge facet of its culture. Part of what makes JSA so exciting to attend are interesting debates, including those that aren’t circulating in the mainstream media all of the time, the ones that really dig into a deeper level of thinking and nuance. That’s why, as Lieutenant Governor, I will work with Debate to create debate and thought talk banks, so chapters can see where others are finding success, as well as sparking more ideas for their own conversations. Naturally with more intense and knowledge-intensive meetings, students will need resources to assure their research is reliable. That’s where my idea for a fact-check hotline comes in. This hotline will ensure that students are never being duped. The last and final idea that I will enthusiastically introduce are debate and activism collabs, which will help inspire more change and progression through our student activists. 

Fundraising

Part of what makes the JSA experience so unique is the conventions that we hold. Whether it be the fierce debates over topics that cause the country to ponder at every turn, or fun debates that leave the audience with tears of laughter, conventions are the staple of a classic JSA experience. The issue in recent years, especially since COVID has been getting chapters to attend our conventions. A huge part of the issue that so many chapters have has been the lack of funds which prevent them from attending. That’s why as Lieutenant Governor, I will create more communication between the fundraising department and chapter presidents, so that they can collaborate and find ways to help their chapters access the focal point of what makes JSA truly JSA. In addition, I will provide chapters with a handbook about fundraising strategies with several baseline ideas for them to launch into more successful fundraising. Another thing that I will do is implement auctions. For Midwest cabinet members, you know how we hold auctions at CabCon to raise money for scholarships. If we hold those at conventions, I’m confident that we will continue to open new opportunities for JSA members to attend more conventions!

CIA

Chapter Presidents carry one of the hardest jobs in the entire JSA organization. Holding their chapter together, helping get their chapters to conventions, and ensuring that the chapter is going beyond just debates are just some of the responsibilities that they carry. But one of the biggest issues that CP’s are facing is the lack of communication that they get from the Midwest. While they have CIA agents, they very rarely have the opportunity to talk to anyone past that. That’s why, as Lieutenant Governor, I'll commit to creating monthly newsletters so delegates and presidents know all the details of the happenings in the world of Midwest JSA. In addition, while we currently have chapter presidents call with CIA agents weekly, we will start having other departments tag along to ensure that chapters are creating an encompassing JSA experience.

Expansion

Expansion is, without a doubt, one of the most integral parts of keeping JSA up and running. As important as it is to bring in new potential delegates, It’s important that we focus on those chapters that are struggling in order to further the quality of the program. As your Lieutenant Governor, I will work closely with expansion and CIA to focus on those chapters that may need a little extra love in order to achieve peak performance. Not only will that refresh the Midwest with new faces who might not have had a chance to be active in JSA before, but with the focus on improving and supporting chapters, JSA will be more appealing to prospective chapters.

Publicity

In our present age of social media, one of the best ways to get interest out is with quick humor or info. As your LTG, I’ll work with publicity to make sure we’re getting more content pushed out on our various accounts. Another output that we could utilize more is tiktok. There are plenty of companies, such as Duolingo, who have created a strong representation for themselves through humor. I am of the opinion that showing the more fun side of JSA will draw the interest of more delegates and chapters.