A Look Back at February!
Grace here. Welcome back to your monthly Dissident Project update, where I give you a quick rundown on who's been where, who they impacted, and what's in development! I know you've been on the edge of your seat, so let's jump right in.
The most exciting update, in my book:
February has been an expansive month for the project, as we officially hired our first addition to the team. Everyone, bid a warm welcome to the wonderful Charlie Andrews, joining us all the way from Michigan!
Charlie is a student athlete at Hillsdale College, set to graduate with a BA in English come spring. He’s vaulted in head-first (he’s a pole vaulter), and is playing an integral part in planning for our upcoming speaker summit. “As a strong supporter of Hillsdale’s outspoken pursuit of truth, goodness, and liberty, I find the mission behind the Dissident Project an inspiring approach to teaching liberty to high school students,” he said in his cover letter, “and one that I am eager to support.”
So sincere that it almost hurts. Isn’t he just the best?
Jorge Galicia
February Talks:
Daniel, Grace Jo Jorge, and Angesom were on the move this month, spreading the message of liberty and American exceptionalism to kids around the country. Here are some highlights:
Angesom spoke to CivicsUnplugged, an awesome new organization devoted to training, funding, and connecting young people to become civic innovators.
Grace Jo brought her powerful presentation to five hundred kids at Algonquin Regional High School. "Everyone had glowing remarks and were in awe of her story," said Gina Johnston, teacher and friend of the Project. "She is a wonderful storyteller and brought the audience into her life."
This was a special full circle moment for us. The idea for the Dissident Project came to Daniel during a talk for Mrs. Johnston at AHRS in early 2022. Thanks, Gina. You're the best.
In addition, Jorge and Daniel delivered barnburners to Temple Baptist Church (KS), Trinity Pacific Christian School, and Clovis Community College (CA). Rockstars, one and all.
The OG’s.
Upcoming for the OG crew:
March speeches for the fab five begin fast and furious, starting with Jorge's presentation to several hundred students at Brophy College Preparatory High School. Then, he and Angesom will speak alongside dissident legend Yeonmi Park at Brookfield Academy's anniversary gala. (I'm attaching a humbling conversation between Yeonmi and Megyn Kelly for your listening pleasure.)
Check out our next newsletter for further updates and speeches happening in March.
The New Guard:
Our project saw more growth in March than we could have imagined — the most we’ve seen since our launch last June. These big changes necessitated that we bring on some fresh faces. Next week, we will welcome our second dissident class to New York City for our speaker training summit.
These seven speakers are our most diverse yet, hailing from places like Hong Kong, Iran, China, Cuba, Zimbabwe and beyond. We will send out an email introducing them one by one when they complete the course!
Speaking of which, we're hosting a reception on Friday, March 10th for friends of the Dissident Project to meet our speakers.
That's all for now! As always, thank you for your support. We couldn't do it without you guys - the wind beneath our wings!
