By Jacob Atkins
This year, Democrats Abroad Mexico has scheduled its Annual General Meeting (AGM) from March 30 to April 1 at the Hotel Posada La Aldea in San Miguel de Allende.
Seven chapters from across Mexico will come together to elect a new in-country executive committee, listen to reports, plan future events, attend workshops, and hear keynote speeches from political pundits, Robert Reich and Genaro Lozano.
On the first day, attendees have two leadership development workshops available. The first activity will ask participants: what does it mean to be a Democrat in Mexico? During this time, Larry Pihl and Mike Lambert will present strategies to stay connected to U.S. politics from Mexico, especially in terms of voting abroad.
Later in the day is the second installment presented by Hope Bradberry and Will Chapman. Together, they are going to discuss the funding opportunities for Democrats Abroad. Visitors can also expect to learn best fundraising practices, such as developing a solid mission statement, elevator speech, and most importantly, the art of saying “thank you.”
Toward the end of the day, U.S. political commentator, professor and author Robert Reich will present his book, “The Common Good,” followed by a book signing. Not only has the University of California Berkeley professor worked for the Ford and Carter administrations, but he was also the Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton.
On the second day, the second keynote speaker is scheduled to present early in the afternoon. Specialized in Mexican politics and LGBTQ issues, Lozano is an international affairs wonk from Mexico’s ITAM. Previously, he worked as the editor of Foreign Affairs Latin America, column writer at Reforma newspaper, and host of “Sin Filtro” on ForoTv, Televisa.
Following this, the third leadership development workshop presented by Barbara Erickson focuses on effective voting mobilization strategies, including best practices and important dates for the 2020 election. After this, the final workshop by Larry Pihl and Mike Lambert will go into the need for collaboration in between election seasons.