Registration is now open for the Ready to Run Iowa Workshop series.
Ames, IA – Registration is now open for the 2013 Ready to Run™ Iowa: Campaign Training for Women program, which is presented by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University.
The 2013 program consists of six, three-to-four-hour workshops that begin in January and conclude in June.
Although 2012 was a record-breaking election in many ways for women, they continue to be underrepresented in public office. Following the 2012 elections, a total of seven women claimed Iowa Senate seats, making up 20 percent of the chamber for the next term. A total of 25 women claimed Iowa House seats and will make up a quarter of the Iowa House during the 83rd General Assembly.
Ready to Run™ Iowa is a non-partisan program designed to recruit and train women to run for elective office, to prepare for appointive office or to become involved in public life as leaders in their respective communities. Since 2007, the program has been offered every other year as part of a national network founded by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
“The workshops, which are grounded in the latest research and scholarship on women’s political participation, are presented by local, state and national political leaders and campaign strategists,” said Valerie Hennings, Catt Center scholar-in-residence, who is directing the Ready to Run™ Iowa program.
Each workshop is taught as an individual training session that can be attended separately or in conjunction with the other workshops. Each session costs $20. If participants register for four or more sessions, the fee is reduced to $15 each. Fees include the workshop materials, parking pass and light refreshments. Women and men are invited to participate.
Workshop topics include an introduction to Iowa politics, developing and launching a campaign, appointments to boards and commissions, fundraising, advocating an issue and media spokesperson training.
Participants can register for the Ready to Run™ Iowa workshops by clicking here. Registration is required and space is limited to the first 25 registered participants per workshop. Questions should be directed to Hennings at 515-294-3181 or email cattcntr@iastate.edu.
The 2013 Ready to Run™ Iowa workshop series is sponsored in part by the Ames Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters of Ames, the League of Women Voters of Iowa, and a Women’s and Diversity Grant awarded by the ISU Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost.
Founded in 1992, the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University offers a variety of programs to promote civic engagement and participation in community leadership, politics and public service. The center honors Carrie Chapman Catt, a distinguished alumna of Iowa State and leader of the women’s suffrage movement. The center’s programs blend the resources and scholarship of the academic environment with the actual experiences of individuals in the public and private sectors.