Help shape the 70-point Bootcamp prize

PLUS: Which Primary Bootcamp actions have been completed the most?

The Primary Bootcamp launched 3 weeks ago and Bootcampers have logged 1670 points so far!

Which Primary Bootcamp actions have been completed the most? Unsurprisingly, the easiest ones:

• 18 Bootcampers have signed up for their community board’s newsletter.

• 14 Bootcampers have signed up for their city council person’s newsletter.

• 12 Bootcampers have followed both their city council member and state assembly person on social media

I’m stoked. I’m proud of y’all. It gets even better– let’s do more! 💪

I used to work out to this YouTube creator who makes strength training workout videos, and she would always remind her viewers that the goal is to build muscle, and that means pushing close to failure. You’re not going to get the results you want by doing the same number of reps at the same weight. Political influence is the same. It’s uncomfortable to do one more thing than what you would usually do. You might procrastinate because it’s not fun. Or maybe you’re hesitant to share your perspective on issues, because you don’t want to get into conflict with others. Or maybe you want to see immediate results – and it’s frustrating to do “low-level” stuff in the meantime. Those are all totally normal reactions. I’ve been there. I dreaded speaking out at my community board meetings to a hostile room of people who disagreed with me. There’s a lot of local issues that I’m woefully uninformed about. I’m still learning, building community, and trying to influence politics. I’m in it with you, building my political muscle too.

Do you need a refresher on what the Primary Bootcamp is again, how to join, and what to do? Here you go:

1. Sign up for the Bootcamp

2. Complete Bootcamp Actions (here)

3. Log Bootcamp Actions

4. Check your points (Unreviewed Points here | Reviewed Points here)

10 Bootcampers have already logged over 70 points

Remember, the top 3 Bootcamp winners will tea party at Gracie Mansion together🫖. AND anyone with over 70 points gets a prize (more on that below) and an invitation to the Bootcamp capstone celebration party. Save the date for the celebration party: June 14! The last day of the Bootcamp and the first day of early voting.

I chose 70 as the cutoff for the party and prize because it’s not easy to get 70 points. You can’t get there just by doing all the “Learn” actions like signing up for newsletters– the “Learn” actions only add up to 55 points. You can’t just consume your way to 70 points, you have to produce a little. But 70 is still approachable, even if you’ve never done any of the Bootcamp actions before today. There’s still over a month left– it’s totally doable to get to 70 in that amount of time.

The leaderboard has undergone huge shifts in the last few days, with Lenny, Raphael, and Tal now in the lead. Use the chat to ask them what they’ve done and get inspiration from their moves!

On Monday, James, Erica, and Scott were in the lead. Now it’s Lenny, Raphael, and Tal!

An announcement and an ask re: the 70-point prize

Any Bootcamper who gets to 70 points wins a lovely print that you’ll be excited to hang on your wall. I’m collaborating with Annabelle, a local artist (her store in Bushwick here), to design the print and we’d love your help!

Here’s the concept: it’s a Where’s Waldo in NYC, but instead of Waldo, you get to find the 2025 NYC mayoral candidates.😆

The print will include a NYC landscape that combines parks, buildings, and streets. And like any good Where’s Waldo scene, there’s a lot going on. You’re trying to find mayoral candidate Brad Lander, but you get to take in all the other delightful activities in the process of your search. I would love your ideas in the comments for fun elements to include in the piece. Comment below with your ideas for:

• People (e.g. public political figures, cultural icons, etc.)

• Buildings (e.g. andmarks, famous restaurants, businesses)

• Activities (e.g. joggers, dog walkers, bikers)

• Plants/Trees

We’ll share the final design at the end of May. I’m excited for Bootcampers with 70+ points to hang this fun piece on your wall. Years from now, visitors to your apartment will see it and be like, “This is cool! What’s going on in this cityscape?” and you’ll be like, “Remember Eric Adams? The mayor that was trying to get pardoned by Trump? This print has him and the other mayoral candidates from 2025 too. I actually won this print– I did this Bootcamp about building my civic engagement muscle, and it was actually pretty fun.”