The fall of 2020 has brought with it an unparalleled call for political action.
Just over a week ago, voters across the country prepared to cast their ballots, ensuring their say in the outcome of the 2020 election cycle. As the majority of Fieldston students are under 18, opportunities for individuals to make their voices heard in politics are often sought after. Come this election season, the answer to these desires was Fieldston’s Nonpartisan Political Action Club.
Founded during the 2019 presidential primaries, the Political Action Club (PAC), led by Sara Snyder (V) and Asher Zemmel (V), has tackled various initiatives centered around youth participation in politics. With goals of creating dialogue within the student body, the Political Action Club’s 2019-2020 school year events mainly consisted of phone banking, as well as discussions centered around various political issues.
“At Fieldston, people demonstrate a lot of interest in politics within day-to-day conversations, so we wanted to create a space where they can turn their interest into action,” Sara Snyder (V) explained. As school transitioned to remote learning, the PAC watched and discussed relevant movies while simultaneously using their community as a space for social interaction. As the 2020-2021 school year began, the clear topic of conversation was the upcoming election.
Leading up to November 3rd, the Political Action Club hosted multiple nonpartisan phone banking events. With around 30 club participants, the PAC saw these events as a way for youth to take action despite being unable to vote. The club leaders provided students with links to phonebank for any candidate and hosted a Google Meet gathering to maintain a communal feeling for the event.
“It felt like we were taking a step in the right direction: towards achieving Felix Adler’s dream of education rooted in civics, caring about one’s community and their impact on it,” Zemmel said in response to student engagement in phone banking for the election.
Now that the presidential election has concluded, the PAC’s main focus has shifted to the Georgia Senate runoffs on January 5th, 2021. When asked about the club’s course of action as these races approach, Zemmel replied: “We are continuing to host phone banks for any candidate of a student’s choosing. These elections will decide who holds the power in the Senate, so we are hoping for an ambitious turnout.”
With a country more divided than ever before, students are hungry for change. Whether a student prefers a candidate of the two major political parties or that of a third party, no opinion limits their ability to advocate for a candidate of their choosing, as the PAC is nonpartisan. The Political Action Club plans on sending out weekly reminders for their Thursday phone banking sessions; students who are interested in taking impactful action should keep an eye on their inbox!
