A new club at Charlottesville High School, Young Democrats Club, will hold its first meeting next Monday. The club was founded by CHS seniors Anne Goodall, Ginger Craghead-Way, and Mira Masri. The mission of Young Democrats is to voice the student body and encourage political advocacy. The club is sponsored by Mr. Scott Mace, who teaches AP United States History as well as Virginia and US History Honors at CHS. 

“It’s a place for young Democrats of America to come together and to discuss the issues that we think are really not only affecting us, but also the people around us and what we can do to change that in the future,” Ginger Craghead-Way, club co-president, said.

2025 is a major election year for Virginia, with races for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General beginning in November. Masri said she, Goodall, and Craghead-Way came up with the idea for the club while campaigning together for Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger.

“We saw that there was no political activism group at CHS. And we thought starting a Young Dems chapter would solve these issues. It’s a national organization, so we can partner with other chapters from different schools in the surrounding area,” Masri said.

The club has plans to canvas for local politicians, go to their events, and help with the democratic ticket, Masri said. Their goal is to give students a better understanding of what the election process is like and let their members get more involved with the Charlottesville political scene.

“It can be easy for high schoolers to sort of feel like they’re powerless because they can’t vote in elections, but I think democracy is so much more than just voting in elections,” Craghead-Way said. “Once people understand that it’s more than that, I think that a lot of good change can happen.”

Mace wants Young Democrats to focus closely on the democratic process, and above all, the facts. “If you just look at where we are today and how few people understand what the democratic process is all about,” Mace said. “They’re willing to accept whatever anyone says because they assume they know what they’re talking about.”

As the sponsor of the club, Mace hopes the members will feel “a sense of empowerment, that they can make a difference, and that their voice can be heard.”

The upcoming governmental election may have a greater effect on the youth than one may assume. “Politics are so important, and they’re in everything. They affect us in our daily lives every single day,” Goodall said. “So if you care about, like, funding for the school, or how good your lunch is, you should care about politics and you should care about who’s governor.”

Young Democrats will begin next Monday in Mr. Mace’s classroom after school, and will meet biweekly on a consistent basis. Follow their Instagram, @chs_young.democrats, for updates and more club information. 

SOURCES

Mira Masri, club co-president

Anne Goodall, club co-president

Ginger Craghead-Way, club co-president

Scott Mace, history teacher and club sponsor