By Sosi Sengal, Staff Reporter
This year, the Young Democrats club revamped by creating initiatives to broaden the club and joining the High School Democrats of Pennsylvania (HSDPA), a statewide organization of high-school-aged Democrats.
In 2024, senior co-presidents Aashita Singh and Arlo Naiva revived the club to discuss politics and encourage Democratic initiatives. One of the main reasons for the revival was to campaign during the 2024 presidential election season and raise awareness for the Democratic Party. The club is a space for students to discuss politics and democracy outside of an academic setting. They hold meetings twice a month, during which they reflect on current events and participate in activities such as letter writing.
“The meetings are very student-run, so they come up with different topics that they want to talk about,” history teacher and club adviser Kathleen Walter said. “The students outside of those meetings were involved in campaigning and canvassing.”
The club provides a place for students to come together and be open-minded toward political opinions. They work to create a safe space to speak on their views and embrace community.
“I never really get to discuss politics with my friends. Being a part of this club helps me be able to have a space to talk about politics,” Singh said. “It also allows me to hear about different perspectives about politics and democracy.”
To get more information on how to canvass effectively, the club decided to join the HSDPA. The organization aims to amplify young voices and support a learning environment in politics. Membership in this organization allows Conestoga’s Young Democrats club to create more opportunities to engage with the community and enhance the current club. To join the HSDPA, the club members had to fill out a form and send it back to the organization.
“The process of becoming a recognized chapter of the HSDPA was relatively easy because we already had an active membership,” sophomore club member Keiji Uehara said. “It was only a matter of applying.”
The organization provides opportunities and connections with High School Young Democrats clubs around Pennsylvania. By joining, the club has access to resources and tools to broaden its mission.
“We reached out to further our connection with them, and they responded by giving us the opportunity to bring forward our agenda for election season and our school,” Singh said. “While school initiatives are meaningful, we realized that to bring about change in the political process, we needed to join organizations that could support and strengthen our efforts at a state level.”
Sosi Sengal can be reached at [email protected].
