You voted. Now what? Kristina Rizga of WireTap writes:

Many progressives hope that the elation and idealism that Barack Obama's campaign helped inspire will turn into a lifetime of community service. [...] And while the president and Congress deliberate policy and allocate funding, the direction of their work will depend, in part, on the continued grassroots activism of young people.

Andrew Gillum, Tallahassee city commissioner and creator of the Young Elected Officials Network, has been named the new Emerging Leader of the Year by Impact D.C.

Andrew received the award while co-hosting a reception with Sen. Barack Obama. His victory came after a two-week Internet poll in which “so many votes were cast that it crashed the Web site.”

Front Line Leaders Academy is up and running again this year, and is now accepting applications for the class of 2007. Over the next month, you will hear from our 2006 fellows about how this progressive and innovative program changed their lives. But let's start at the basics.

What is FLLA?

FLLA, Front Line Leaders Academy, is the premier campaign leadership development program that provides prospective candidates and campaign leaders the ability to learn from successful political campaign professionals. Provided by the Young Elected Officials Network, a program of People For the American Way Foundation, Fellows selected to this elite academy are trained on how to be an effective candidate, campaign manager, finance director, communication director and field organizer.