DuPage Young Democrats attend 2011 Young Democrats of America Convention

By Zack Caroll

The DuPage Young Democrats, the newest affiliate of the Democratic Party of DuPage County, are attending the 2011 Young Democrats of America National Convention in Louisville, KY as Illinois Delegates. Generous support from outside donors helped pay for transportation and lodging costs, making the trip possible.

The annual convention is being attended by over 2,000 young Democrats from across the country and includes more than 50 training sessions and seminars, including how to fundraise, build a chapter, work with unions, connect with your base in your community, write a campaign budget, utilize social media and others.

The DuPage Young Democrats has enjoyed quite a successful debut on the DuPage political scene. We’ve connected with nearly 1,000 people on Facebook, hosted a successful kickoff BBQ, marched in parades and rocked the state Young Democrats convention. We have also inspired start-ups in surrounding suburban counties—Kane, Will and Lake—to join the Democratic youth scene.

I’ll be reporting daily from the Convention at the blog, upolitic.org. So stay tuned! DYD has had an awesome start thus far, and we’re excited to improve after the Convention, to help mobilize young Democrats in DuPage, and to ultimately turn DuPage blue.

Zack Caroll is Co-Chair and a co-founder of DuPage Young Democrats. He graduated this year from Hinsdale Central High School and will be studying International Relations and Economics at American University in Washington D.C.