Education

The Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy is excited to announce that they are now taking applications for their Class of 2020! Last year they received a record-breaking 78 applicants for the Class of 2019. 

IWIL Training Academy is an educational organization designed to train and prepare Democratic women to run for elected office, seek public appointments, and govern effectively at all levels in Illinois.

Applications to the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy Class of 2020 are now open!

IWIL Training Academy is seeking women from all over Illinois who are interested in running for office. Their annual class is kept to 12 participants to allow for the most impactful, in-depth training. They connect participants with the expertise and support needed to put together successful campaigns and lead in their communities and beyond. 

Trainees spend over 125 hours learning from industry experts focusing on leadership development, communications strategy, advanced fundraising techniques, and much more. 

Studies show that women need to be asked to run for office — so we’re asking YOU to apply or to ask a woman leader you know to apply! 

Applications will close Friday, November 8th at 10:00 pm CT. For more information, visit the application online here or please contact the IWIL Training Academy team at info@iwiltrainingacademy.org.

Mavis Bates of the Sierra Club, Valley of the Fox group, spoke at the September 17, 2019 meeting of the Elgin Township Democrats about the Green New Deal. If you missed the meeting, Mavis was nice enough to give us her presentation documents so we could share them on the site.

Download the Green New Deal Presentation

• 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019
• H. R. 2256 – Driving America Forward
• Green New Deal PowerPoint Presentation

Another one of Governor Pritzker campaign promises was to finally implement a progressive income tax in Illinois. There will certainly be a lot of misinformation spread about this plan that tried to scare Illinois residents by falsely saying their taxes will go up.

With a fair tax, 97% of taxpayers will see some tax relief. Working families will finally get a fair system.

Use the calculator on Illinois.gov to see how the Fair Tax would impact your family.

Politics IS something you should talk about!

Every first and third Monday of the month, join Franklin Ramirez, elected Elgin Township Supervisor (Kane County, Illinois), and Rich Jacobs, Chief of Staff for Illinois State Senator Cristina Castro, as they interview guests and discuss topics that surround politics.

Whether you want to learn more about the inner-workings of campaigns, are thinking about what it takes to run for office, or already have a solid understanding but enjoy deep political discussions on the meaning of leadership, this is the podcast for you.

Franklin Ramirez & Rich Jacobs

Nobody builds smart, effective grassroots political organizations like the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association. One important key to our building efforts is our annual Candidate Boot Camp, put on in conjunction with the National Democratic Training Committee’s Blue Bench Training Program.

Registration is now open for this amazing three-day intensive training that will take place on May 17th – 19th at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield. 

This year’s training will be better than ever. There will be three tracks:

Track 1 – Candidate Training is for candidates and potential candidates who are involved with their county party. Applicants will be screened and selected by the IDCCA. Sessions will cover developing your story (communications), telling your story online (digital), identifying and persuading voters (field), and fundraising. First time candidates and elected officials who are running in 2020 are invited to apply.

Track 2 – Staff Training is for anyone wishing to take on a staff role in a campaign, preferably for a local, countywide or County Board race. The course will cover communications, digital, field operations, and fundraising.

Track 3 – Local Party Training / County Chairs Training is for County Chairs. If there is room, applications from precinctpersons will be considered. It will cover crafting a local message, digital, growing your organization (volunteer recruitment), and fundraising.

This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who is seriously thinking about running for election or re-election to a local or county office or beyond. But you need act fast! You must apply by April 26, 2019.

Get more information here, then submit your information and the IDCCA will be in touch with you to gain a better understanding of your situation.