Nothing like a week with bright enthusiastic Oklahoma college students to make me feel some hope for the future! For a fourth year in a row, 60 of Oklahoma’s best and brightest attended the OK Policy Summer Policy Institute. After SPI, the students shared comments like:
- “The summer policy institute helped prepare me to be a better and more educated leader. The institute not only provided the motivation to become more politically involved, but also the knowledge necessary regarding methods to take action.”
- “The SPI helped de-mystify policy and advocacy and gave me the knowledge, tools, and confidence to engage more fully in the legislative process in Oklahoma.”
- “I think a great value of SPI is something I heard over and over again the past few days from fellow students – ‘I feel like I should stay in Oklahoma now.’ The students come away feeling empowered to make change when often they have felt discouraged before.”
I don’t tell you all this to make you jealous, but to let you know that there are new leaders getting the tools they need to help us make a difference. Plus, you can also be one of those stepping to the challenge. Save the Date: Oklahoma Policy Institute is putting on two Fall Policy Boot Camps (FallPol) this year on October 14th in Tulsa and October 15th in Oklahoma City. FallPol is an intensive, one-day training on key issues affecting our state, similar to the Summer Policy Institute but not limited to students. We’ll announce more details and registration information soon.
If you read OK Policy’s daily news updates, you’ve seen that bad news about the budget just keeps rolling in, but that isn’t all that is going on. Take heart and know that Okies all around you are getting involved like never before.
Make sure to double check to see if you have a runoff election happening in either of your districts on August 23rd and have a great week!
