VoteDeis Students “Unobscure” local and state government, teach organizing and advocacy
March 11, 2025
In two workshops at the annual DEIS Impact “festival of social justice” at Brandeis, VoteDeis Campus Coalition students with support from ENACT helped their peers understand how to make a difference on issues they care about.
"Unobscuring" the Complexities of Local Government
In this interactive VoteDeis Campus Coalition workshop led by Luke Farberman ‘27 and Rebekah Marvel ‘28, participants learned about the different roles and people in local 
government. Several state and local officials shared messages to participants in which they discussed their roles and encouraged people to reach out, including a school committee member, a city councilor, a state representative, a state senator, and the Massachusetts state auditor.
By “unobscuring” the roles and duties of these local government positions, VoteDeis helped audience members gain a greater understanding of how their vote is influential not just on a national stage (for president), but matter greatly on state and local levels.
Organizing for Change: From Ideas to Action
In this interactive VoteDeis Campus Coalition activity led by Nova Brent ‘28 and Yoni Kahn ‘24, Heller MPP student, participants learned how fellow Brandeis community members and Brandeis alumni are already involved in organizing and advocating for change.
Cameron Samuels ‘24 and Benji Kemper ‘19 helped participants brainstorm ideas for creating change, and draft action plans regarding campus or community-wide initiatives. The workshop encouraged participants to engage in community organizing and advocacy and showed them that they have the skills to begin an initiative themselves or volunteer their efforts for ongoing initiatives on campus or locally.