Press Release

August 7, 2008                                                                                   Contact: Lara Cassell
For Immediate Release                       212-261-4497 / lcassell@thewhitehouseproject.org

 
DEBATE BOOT CAMP TO TAKE TWIN CITIES BY STORM 
Day-Long Training Teaches Women Candidates Essential Debate Skills

Minneapolis– Next Thursday, The White House Project will hold its third annual Debate Boot Camp in the Twin Cities, equipping 25 women candidates with the necessary tools to effectively debate the issues this election season.  The participants, who are all running for office, will benefit from a full day of workshops and trainings that will help advance women's political leadership in the North Star State.

The innovative day-long conference is part of The White House Project's Vote, Run, Lead program, a national initiative which has been instrumental in propelling a diverse group of women into positions of political leadership. Since its creation in 2005, the program has trained more than 5,000 women to become political leaders, including Minnesota State Senator Patricia Torres Ray, Virginia City Councilor Nevada Littlewolf, and State Representative Tina Liebling. 

"Women remain our country's greatest untapped natural resource," said Marie C. Wilson, President of The White House Project.  "Debate Boot Camp is an unparalleled opportunity for women to learn how to expertly discuss and defend the issues which matter most to them and their communities." 

"Everyone told me that I needed to develop myself as a candidate," said State Senator Patricia Torres Ray, who attended Debate Boot Camp in 2006.  "The White House Project's Debate Boot Camp gave me the time and space to do just that." 

During the day-long conference, Twin Cities Debate Boot Camp participants will work closely with communications experts to refine their stump speeches, mine for stories, and simulate actual debate forums. 

"Debate Boot Camp is an excellent vehicle for preparing women candidates for the rigors of campaigning," said Dave Cram Helwich, Director of Debate at the University of Minnesota. "It is essential for women to be an integral part of the political arena – and these trainings allow women candidates to articulate their visions to voters as viable political candidates." 

Twin Cities Debate Boot Camp is one of several initiatives that The White House Project has brought to Minnesota in 2008.  This year, The White House Project's Minnesota office has trained over 200 women to run for office through two Go Run trainings, held in Bloomington and the Iron Range; another Debate Boot Camp will also take place on the Iron Range in late August.  Additional Debate Boot Camps are scheduled for Michigan, Georgia, and Colorado.

Twin Cities Debate Boot Camp will be held on Thursday, August 14th, from 8AM to 6PM at the Humphrey Institute Center for Women and Public Policy.

The White House Project, a national, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization, works to advance a richly diverse, critical mass of women into leadership positions, up to and including the U.S. Presidency. For more information, please visit: http://www.thewhitehouseproject.org.

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