As the final stages of the US presidential race get underway, 20 sixth-formers from five UK schools have joined campaigners for Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton and a number of the Republican congressional races. The students are part of the Inspire US 2016 programme, run by education charity The Transformation Trust, which offers opportunities to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them develop new employability skills and grow in confidence. TES will carry a report each day from the students.
Reporting from Florida are Naomi Mostafiz, Ellie Watson, Berkem Billuroglu and Chardonnae Deslandes, sixth-form students at Kingsmead School in Enfield, North London
Nine days into the trip and one day before the election. This has been the most jam-packed day so far.
Today we made phone calls to voters, knocked on doors and attended a rally, truly covering all aspects of the campaign.
We made thousands of calls in just one hour asking people if they had already voted or planned to on Tuesday 8 - crucial data to collect due to the importance of early voting.
Also, we wanted to ensure everyone was able to travel to their local polling station as it is vital that they has the opportunity to express their democratic right. We were then lucky enough to meet senator Marco Rubio who thanked us for all our hard work on the campaign. Likewise, our gratitude goes to the Transformation Trust for giving us this amazing opportunity.
We then went on to canvas in the all-important precincts of the “swingiest” of swing states, Florida. The outcome in Florida will likely determine the outcome of the election and we are determined to make a difference.
The Floridians to whom we spoke to had not yet voted and our interactions ensured their voices will be heard. We provided key information about the polling station locations, opening times and valid identification required. Our volunteering was invaluable to the campaign and voter turnout.
After the busy morning of phone calls and door knocking we headed to St. Petersburg for a rally with the current vice president Joe Biden, running senator Patrick Murphy and running congressman Charlie Crist.
All three of the men made inspiring speeches that encouraged the audience to go out and vote if they had not already. The atmosphere was moving, still we were able to realise the impact we had made on the voters we interacted with.
The performance by the American songwriter and musician, Jimmy Buffet, alongside the speeches made by the candidates, created a surge of power through the crowd, bringing everyone together as a small part of the nation, whilst also ensuring every person there felt as if they had a significant role to play in their society.
Our journey these past nine days has taught us much more than just how to campaign or talk to voters. It has taught us how important one small deed can be.
How anyone who decides they want to make a difference, will.
The role we have had as part of these campaigns will always be something to look back on.
We look forward to seeing the outcome of the election on Tuesday night, to know that our hard work has made a difference to the future of a whole nation.
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