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You are here: Home / AAUW CA Projects / Gov Trek / Gov Trek Program Activities

Gov Trek Program Activities

October 6, 2023

Program Activities

Speakers and panelists, including current and former legislators, staffers, and consultants, will cover various careers in public service and elective office. Student activities include engaging with elected officials and speakers to learn about their career paths, presenting an elevator speech, and creating a campaign simulation. The program finale will consist of a fun campaign team competition including helpful feedback from judges and a chance to win prizes. 

View Program Sessions on YouTube

In this program, participants will:

  • Engage in career exploration
  • Gain access to local and state women legislators and leaders
  • Run through a political campaign and understand the roles involved
  • Make their college applications stand out
  • Learn teamwork skills
  • Meet peers from across California
  • Sharpen public speaking skills
  • Write speeches
  • Design political fliers and ads
  • Conduct audience analysis for voter outreach
  • Receive a certificate of completion
  • Winners and graduates have access to shadow and internship opportunities Such as:
    1. Congressional internships 
    2. District attorney internships
    3. Working on the campaign trail for local candidates
    4. The chance to join the AAUW California Gov Trek Alumni and Public Policy Advisory Boards.

Rewards will be provided for campaign competition winners.

Gov Trek Finale and Campaign Competition

The final Gov Trek project includes creating and delivering a political campaign package designed to make positive change in the community, state, or country. Participants will be assigned to teams of up to seven members who share common policy interests, each of whom may request what role they prefer to play in the political campaign: 

  • Candidate (1)
  • Campaign manager (2)
  • Field and volunteer manager (2)
  • Communications director and speech writer (2)

Format: Campaign teams will work closely together through a realistic campaign simulation, delivering a six-minute video that includes: 

  1. A candidate’s stump speech
  2. Voter outreach plan 
  3. Political candidate flier and campaign ad 

Time Limit: The entire video should be between five and one-half and six and one-half minutes long. Videos that do not fit within this timeframe will be disqualified from the competition. Videos will be uploaded to YouTube with the link submitted to govtrek@aauw-ca.org by Sunday, March 10, 2024, by 11:59 p.m.

Judging: Five campaign teams will be selected to participate in the finale. Three VIP industry judges will evaluate and provide constructive feedback to the campaign teams competing in the final round. All finalists will be placed in one of the following categories:

  • Best Campaign Overall – Grand Prize Team – Participants will be provided the opportunity to participate in an internship or shadow opportunity.  Prizes or awards as determined by AAUW California
  • Voter Outreach Plan (VOP) – Prizes or awards as determined by AAUW California
  • Candidate Flier & Campaign Ad – Prizes or awards as determined by AAUW California
  • Stump Speech – Prizes or awards as determined by AAUW California
  • Campaign Management – Prizes or awards as determined by AAUW California

Student Program Materials

Gov Trek Program Syllabus

Gov Trek Judging Rubric

Political Campaign Project Description

Gov Trek Campaign Simulation Competition

Campaign Voter Outreach Template

Campaign Stump Speech Template

Gov Trek Homework

Stump Speeches

  • Noelia Corzo for County Supervisor
  • Karen Bass for Mayor 
  • Nikki Haley kicked off 2024 presidential campaign with calls for a new generation of leadership
  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress
  • Gen Z Congressman Maxwell Frost on Gun Violence  
  • Gen Z Maxwell Frost For Congress (en Espanol)
  • How To Write A Stump Speech
  • ​​What is a Stump Speech

Voter Outreach Plans

  • Effective Voter Mobilization https://www.impactive.io/blog/effective-voter-mobilization-5-tips-for-organizers 
  • Get Out The Vote With These Research-Backed Strategies https://callhub.io/get-out-the-vote-tools-tactics-strategies-guide/ 
  • Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Field Plan 
  • https://youtu.be/wJRhscjf4q0 Everything Gen Z Congressman Maxwell Frost Did 1 Month Before Election Win  https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8h61es

Sample Campaign Package

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Filed Under: Gov Trek

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