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Katrina Moncure
Bio Statement
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I'm Katrina Moncure, lab assistant. In the seven years I've been with NYRA, I've had some involvement in just about every part of the organization, from chapter assistance to tabling to event planning to online promotion. The phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” comes to mind. Currently, I'm a board member, secretary, tyrannical forums moderator, blogger, chat coordinator, and human behind the Twitter account and founder of #16tovote on the 16th, which has been running for nearly a year and a half. In the past year, I helped prepare for and attended our Supreme Court rally last November and filmed Usiel Phoenix's speech. I've been helping to plan the annual meeting. I took some days off work to help out in the office. I've assisted with the website redesign and trying to ensure we get what we're looking for out of it. I took part in our weekend-long strategic planning session in March. I sent the NYRA holiday cards for the past five years. Plus the pens, bumper stickers, tabling, sharp pointy stick, and annoying of executive director as mentioned in previous years. NYRA has grown tremendously in the time I've been involved and is much more assertive, influential, and powerful, and I'm proud to be a part of it. Means a lot to me. Even got in trouble defending it one time! Long story. Anyway, this is our organization and our cause. It is our job to be relentless, to be unapologetically fierce for youth rights!
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Questionnaire
1. Why do you want to run for the NYRA Board of Directors?
Because when I say "aye" after the "all in favor?" at board meetings, I'd like it to be a binding vote rather than an obnoxious interruption.
2. Are you familiar with the responsibilities of a non-profit board member? What prior experience do you have that you believe qualifies you to hold the position of director on our board?
I've been on NYRA's board for the past six years, with perfect meeting attendance, so I pretty much know my way around it by now. More recently, I've attended gatherings or looked up info for other groups to compare how they deal with board-like issues. Main similarity is it's very focused on managerial issues, funding, structure, core values, and of course strategy, and that's about how we are. Board members have to be sure the organization is a well-oiled machine.
3. What have you personally done to advance NYRA?
Lots of little things! Aside from donations here and there, my main areas have been maintaining our online communities, namely our forums, blog, chats, and Twitter friends. Keeping up the youth rights dialogue is vital to keeping people caring about and truly understanding our issues, as well as nurturing confidence in being a youth rights supporter. When we have a knowledgeable, connected, empowered membership and supporter-base with whom we maintain regular contact and have a good relationship, NYRA is made stronger!
4. What are your short and long term goals for NYRA? How do we reach those goals?
In the short term, we need to keep up educating people about youth rights, keep raising awareness, and make sure our name is on it! I've been running #16tovote on the 16th on Twitter for the past year and a half, and one of its main purposes is identifying lowering the voting age as a NYRA issue, for example. Long term, once we're well branded and with the aforementioned knowledgeable, connected, empowered membership, we'll be the go-to org for correcting any and all youth rights violations and able to handle a wider range of issues than we do now. It all goes back to strengthening the base and ourselves.
5. What do you believe is NYRA's biggest challenge or weakness, and what will you do, personally, to help address it. Please be specific and realistic.
Too often I've heard youth rights supporters say "we can't do that, we'll turn off potential supporters!" We should not encourage that kind of thinking. Granted, we don't and shouldn't take positions or actions that do not fit with our strategic plan, are not well researched or thought out, that we don't have enough reason to believe would have a favorable outcome, or don't pass a number of other such quality standards we have for ourselves. But we should never silence or impede ourselves for no other reason than “we'd look too radical”. That idea comes from insecurity and usually can be cured by more thorough knowledge of the issues, that greater confidence as a youth rights supporter I mentioned earlier. No reason to fear being radical as long as we know what we're doing! If we won't be unapologetically fierce for youth rights, who will?
6. If elected, what will you personally do for the national organization? What projects or activities will you take leadership of? Please be specific and realistic.
As I said, I've already been involved in trying to mobilize and strengthen the online community and presence. This should hopefully be easier once the new website is up. I'm planning to improve blog posting through better organizing communication among contributors. I'll continue #16tovote on the 16th and other Twitter hashtag campaigns, such as #isupportyouthrights which first appeared in April for National Youth Rights Day. I've been working on improving chat attendance, especially among active NYRA members and higher-ups so people can more easily learn what's going on and voice any comments or concerns. I'll also still be around to help national with any other events coming up. I'll do the holiday cards again this year, which I enjoy since NYRA and the holiday season are two of my favorite things! I might take on a greater role in merchandise sales once that is reorganized.
7. In your view, how is the role of a board member different than that of an active member or chapter leader? How would your involvement be affected if you weren't elected this year?
Aside from planning and taking part in activism and generally representing the organization in various situations, board members deal with the structural back-end stuff, like funding, bylaws, strategic planning, staff management, and other things that probably aren't very interesting to most but are nonetheless vital and require a deep level of familiarity with all things NYRA. Active members and chapters carry out the activism based on those structural core values. If not a board member, I'd continue trying to advise based on my long experience with the organization, though I'd feel a little unsure about some of my activities since they involve a representation of NYRA more fitting a current board member. I'd find a way to make it work, though.
8. If you served on the board last year, how would you assess your level of involvement? Did you follow through on promises you made during last year's election?
I think so. Last year I talked about promoting and posting more to the blog to promote our activities and the youth rights point of view better, and I and others have done that, and the blog is more active than ever, though still less than we'd like. #16tovote on the 16th is still going strong. My efforts to improve member connectedness are still on-going. Also got involved in annual meeting planning, strategic planning, the Supreme Court rally, and other activities in the past year. I'm pleased with what's happened but still striving for better.
9. Define "youth rights". Describe our mission and our vision in your own words.
We tell society, “Youth are people and must not be discriminated against in policy or attitude. Youth aren't property of parents, school, or government. Rights are not just for adults!” Society says, “Nooo! Ridiculous! Prove it!” We provide a ton of great talking points. Society says, “Eh, doesn't seem important right now.” We say, “Yes, it is. Look at all the ways youth and everyone else are suffering due to lack of youth rights.” After we say these ways, society says, “I still don't know. Wouldn't do any good.” We say, “Sure it would. Here's more proof.” It goes on like this until society says, “Okay, fine! We'll give some rights to youth!” And we say “We need more than some. Keep going.” And society grumbles and realizes it'll never be rid of us because we're stubborn and won't stop until youth are truly free. It'll be a while.
10. With many qualified members running for the Board, what sets you apart? Why should you be elected?
Re-elect me and I'll tell you what's in the box...
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