Nurturing future political candidates
Workshops aim to encourage women to enter public service
BY JENNA O'DONNELL Staff Writer

Michelle Futerfas, 16, Eatontown, Brianna Sas-Ciampoli, 17, Tinton Falls, Kelly Trochanowski, 17, Neptune, and Kate Mille, 17, Rumson, interview Holmdel Mayor Serena DiMaso during the "Running and Winning Workshop" held on May 2 at Monmouth Regional High School.

TINTON FALLS - The topic was whether to adopt Internet regulations for teens. The stance was open to debate by the teens themselves.

And that is exactly what more than 60 young women from 11 area high schools did during the second annual Running and Winning Workshop held at Monmouth Regional High School on May 2.

The workshop is designed to encourage young women to consider becoming involved in the political process and make a difference.

Organized into groups with assigned roles such as candidate, campaign manager, publicist and speechwriter, the students created campaign slogans, speeches and posters that they presented at the end of the workshop.

Martha Wilkinson of Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School was the candidate for her group and gave a speech against the regulation of the Internet, instead stressing the need for heightened responsibility.

Long Branch's Jara Reid, 17, and Middletown South's Amanda Willis listen to Monmouth County Surrogate Rosemarie Peters speak at the May 2 "Running and Winning Workshop."

"I believe that if we educate teenagers and make their parents more interested in taking active roles in being aware about how their child is using the Internet, then the majority of these malicious Web acts could be prevented," Wilkinson said.

Candidate Laura Turner of Communications High School in Wall and her group took the opposite stance. They proposed the idea of "mysafe.com," a way for computer and Internet regulation to begin.

"At this point in time the regulation of the Internet is very limited by the government," Turner said. "Anyone at any age can see anything whenever they want to and also pretend that they are someone else. The government's involvement in the Internet is small and it needs to become more active. The restrictions placed on the Internet should be enforced but not to the point where individual freedoms would be violated."

Barbara Goldstein, chair of the workshop, described the day in which the students, all high school juniors, divide into groups, take a stance on the subject of Internet regulations, and plan a mini-campaign around their views.

"It is very gratifying," Goldstein said. "The girls end up leaving with things to think about later."

The League of Women Voters of the greater Red Bank area, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, sponsored the event designed to encourage young women to consider public service and participation in politics as worthwhile goals for adulthood.

Seventeen local women in government were also in attendance to lend a guiding hand to students. State Sen. Jennifer Beck, Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno, and Holmdel Mayor Serena DiMaso were a few of the guests along with several councilwomen, mayors, freeholders, Board of Education members and other officials.

"The students are given packets that include biographies and contact information [for the women in government]," Goldstein said. "The women are meant to be mentors for them."

It has been an especially successful year for women in government in the state of New Jersey.

According to Amy C. Dempster, president of the Monmouth County Regional Women's Political Caucus (MCR-WPC), in this year's elections in the county, 68 women ran for office and 39 were elected, which means 57 percent of the women who ran were elected to office.

New Jersey now ranks 15th in the nation in terms of the percentage of women serving in the state Legislature, and 14 new women took the oath as in 2008, which brings the total number of women serving in the state Legislature to 34, according to Lori Anne Oliwa, one of the founders of the MCR-WPC.

She said in previous years New Jersey was ranked 43rd in the nation.

In addition, Kim Guadagno was elected by a decent margin as Monmouth County's first-ever female sheriff, according to Oliwa.

"I believe the county political and party bosses have finally realized the value of putting women on the ticket," Oliwa said after the elections.

By providing this program of mentorship, the workshop sponsors hope that young women will be encouraged to become involved in public service and leadership.

"Hopefully they will come away from this experience with an understanding of how important is to take roles in leadership," Goldstein said.