The Dire Need for Good Training

First of all, sorry for the lack of posts over the past 2 months. I've been pretty busy up here at UF.

One glaring inefficiency of most DECs is the lack of capable leaders and innovators. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of willing and extremely energetic people who are members of DECs. However, as I mentioned in a previous post we have a severe lack of leadership.

I've already talked about our "defecit of leadership." In this post I'd like to discuss the need for training.

Those who move the party's arms and legs MUST have some form of training. I will post at another time what I believe to be the best structure for a DEC. These are the kinds of people who need training which the FDP should provide:

- Precinct Captains: This is first and foremost. Precinct captains must know their responsibilities and duties to the DEC and the Democratic Party as a whole. They need to learn about identifying loyal Democratic voters and recruiting them; using and retaining volunteers properly; holding house parties; conducting successful community outreach efforts; and conducting successful GOTV planning and implementation. They must also know the hopefully many tools and support that their DEC offers.
- Communications people: those who work with the media and press need to learn how to work with these folks properly; how to make relationships with reporters and editors; what to say and not to say, etc...
- Researchers: Those who do research and policy work for the party. They need to know where to access information and who to talk to to get information.
- Fundraisers and Event Planners: These folks need to be trained in planning and organizing successful fundraisers, marches, rallies, etc...

The FDP needs to make it a top priority to rebuild their DECs. One major way is to hire folks in their staff which can train willing DEC members to do these and many other needed tasks within DECs. Field organizers come to mind.

In the next post or in one down the road, I will discuss my idea for the ideal organization of a DEC. This post on training will have added meaning once you read that post. An ideal DEC cannot function without adequately trained members.