Happening this week: RootsCamp 2025 Where Organizers, Activists, and Changemakers Unite to Learn, Connect, and Fight for Democracy!
🚨 Missed Yesterday at RootsCamp? Here’s What Went Down!
🚨 Missed Yesterday at RootsCamp? Here’s What Went Down! 🚨
If you weren’t in the mix yesterday, you missed out—but don’t worry, most recordings are available! We spilled the tea, strategized for the future, and even got a little messy in the best way possible. Here’s a taste of what went down:
If you weren’t in the mix yesterday, you missed out—but don’t worry, most recordings are available! We spilled the tea, strategized for the future, and even got a little messy in the best way possible. And a special shoutout to
whose session “All Tea, All Shade” was the most popular of the day! 🎉👏. That’s me with Channel at our in-person RootsCamp last month above :-).🔙 Yesterday’s Highlights & Speakers
🫖 All Tea, All Shade: Untold Stories from the Field – Channel Powe
💥 What do you wish people knew about what happened on the ground? This was a space to share real experiences that can ignite bold change!
🇺🇦 How Ukraine Advocates Engage to Build Broad Coalitions – @Jim McBride
💬 Despite setbacks, Ukrainian-Americans and allies have built powerful coalitions in Washington. Learn lessons from one of the movement’s most experienced activists!
💰 Making the Economic Case (Without Sounding Like an Elitist Jerk) – John Neffinger, Sarah Flowers
🧐 Progressives support workers, but sometimes we sound out of touch. This session shared research on how to connect with people in meaningful ways!
🔥 Memes, Hashtags & Pixels: Charting a Career Path in Digital Strategy – Shelby Cole, Han Nguyen, Caleb Cavarretta, Paulina Mangubat, Tessa Simonds
📱 How do you turn digital strategy into a career? Digital veterans shared unconventional paths, insider tips, and lessons they wish they had known earlier.
🤖 Disrupting Disinfo in 2025: Search, AI & the Battle for Truth – Meg Simons, Britt Bischoff
🚨 As extremists weaponize AI and search, progressives need strategic defenses. This session shared real-world tactics to fight digital manipulation.
🎤 Branding Your Career: From Resume to Interview Success – Sarah Hummell, Kimberly Naff
💼 Your resume and interview are more than a checklist—this session taught how to turn them into a compelling personal brand!
📣 Beyond Boom & Bust Organizing: Building & Sustaining Grassroots Teams Year-Round – Thaddeus Walls, Matt Caffrey, Janna Kaplan
💪 Campaigns end, but movements shouldn’t. This session tackled strategies for keeping volunteers and teams engaged between election cycles.
🔧 Oops! I Did It Again: Fixing Common Digital Mistakes to Help You Win – Tessa Sainz, Matt Denner
❌ Running a digital program is hard—this session covered common mistakes and how checklists and audits can prevent them!
📝 Audience, Brevity, Clarity: Understanding the ABC’s of Messaging – Vicki Roush, Sanha Tahir, Arshad Hasan
📢 Want your message to land? This session broke down the essentials of effective, audience-driven communication.
🎟️ Missed these? No worries—check out the recordings!
👀 What’s On Deck TODAY?
🔥 First Block (12pm - 1:15pm ET)
⚖️ Holding Election Officials Accountable – Nick Pressley, Scott Seeborg
🗳️ Election deniers are still in power—so how do we hold them accountable? Learn real-world strategies for defending democracy.
🐕 Concrete Ways to Stop DOGE in Its Tracks! – Beverly Schreiber, Heather Cronk
💻 Federal workers hold the key to stopping dangerous government takeovers. This session explored how to inspire resistance from inside the system.
💼 More Than a Hard Ask: Organizing Skills for Job Negotiation – Chelsie Ouelette
💰 Advocating for yourself is just as important as advocating for your cause. This session introduced a Harvard-taught framework for salary negotiations.
🚀 What’s Next? Career Planning Between Administrations – Kristin Avery, Gautam Raghavan, Marcus Coleman, Vanessa Millones, Brooks Mears
🔄 Public service careers don’t stop between elections—this panel helped folks navigate transitions and plan their next steps.
🎯 Second Block (1:30pm - 2:45pm ET)
🎬 Creators: How Do We Make a Living? – Annie Wu, Laura Packard, Lucy Ritzmann, Emma Mont
📹 For digital creators, financial stability can be tough. This session explored strategies to monetize content and sustain creative activism.
🏆 Grassroots Power: Organizing to Win Without the Help of the DNC – D’Angelo Virgo
✊ Winning local elections and driving change without the establishment—this session was all about people-powered movements.
📖 Science-Based Storytelling to Persuade & Motivate – Frank A. Spring
🧠 Messaging isn’t just an art—it’s a science. Attendees learned how to use storytelling frameworks to inspire action.
⚡ Third Block (3:00pm - 4:15pm ET)
🌱 Path to an Equitable Clean Energy Economy: A Community Discussion on Just Transition – Kieran Elia
🌍 Labor, climate, and community leaders explored organizing for a fair and sustainable clean energy future.
🎨 Lessons from 2024: How We Activated Creators – Ashwath Narayanan, Sabrina Collins-Childers, Maria Hurtado, Ellie Artone
📢 What worked (and what didn’t) in 2024? This session broke down key learnings from creator-led voter engagement campaigns.
☕ The Art of Having Coffee: Building Meaningful Connections – Sarah Hummell
🤝 Networking isn’t just about coffee—it’s about real relationships. This session provided tools for authentic, strategic connections.
📊 The Consultant’s Survival Guide: Hustle, Chaos & Winning Strategies – Scott Simpson, Atima Omara, Dan Black, Alicia Sisneros
💼 Thinking about consulting? This panel of seasoned pros shared real talk on surviving and thriving in the industry.
💡 Over 500 people are registered, and we’re just getting started! Be sure to check out the expo, meet amazing organizers, and take full advantage of our space for learning, sharing, collaborating, and networking.
🌍 RootsCamp is by and for the people fighting to protect our democracy. While GAIN Power is the host, the sessions are 100% user-driven, focusing on:
✅ Professional development & career opportunities
✅ Organizing & mobilizing
✅ Messaging & communication
It might seem scattered, but that’s because there’s something for everyone who wants to make a difference!
💻 It’s not too late to register! Whether you’re coming for the sessions, the connections, the expo, or just to see what it’s all about—you can still be part of it! Registration closes when we end on Friday, but the sessions and connections will live on long after.
👉 Join us now: https://rootscamp.link/apvirtual25
💬 Who are you most excited to hear from today? Drop your thoughts below! ⬇️
#RootsCamp #PoweringProgress #GrassrootsMovements 🚀