Welcome to the Second Annual YEO Network National Convening. Created by People For the American Way Foundation and led by Tallahassee (FL) City Commissioner Andrew Gillum and Georgia State Representative Alisha Thomas Morgan, the Young Elected Officials Network works to unite and support progressive elected leaders who share a passion for building communities that reflect values of freedom, fairness and opportunity. Through these means, the YEO Network will connect the progressive agenda at community levels across the country, ultimately producing an enduring pipeline of well-prepared national and world-class leaders. Each year, the YEO National Convening brings together America’s progressive policy makers for three days of innovative policy support, personal and professional development, and networking opportunities to share ideas, experiences and best practices. To increase the value of your time here, YEO Network’s Strategic Partners, Convening Trainers, and your fellow Young Elected Officials have collaborated to share their best practices and model policy with you. This Policy Reference Manual is only the beginning of a valuable YEO Legislative Exchange, constantly building as YEOs share with us their important work. The goal is to provide progressive policy and best practices that YEOs can take back to their respective communities. This is an exciting opportunity to connect with fellow policy makers and progressive organizations to help create change in communities across the country. As you know, the members of the Young Elected Officials Network are innovative, energetic, and eager to learn about comprehensive progressive policy that will benefit their constituents. As a young elected official in the Network, we hold you to the same challenge and ask you to share your innovations with your progressive colleagues through the YEO Network. If you have any policy models you would like to share with the Network over the course of the year or in our next Policy Reference Manual, please e-mail Raquel Simon at [email protected] for more information. We look forward to your participation and hope you enjoy your time with us. Thank you for your commitment to progressive values and for joining other Young Elected Officials for this inspiring weekend.
Onward and upward, The YEO Network Team
A NEW GENERATION OF LEADERS ON THE FRONT LINE OF CHANGE