SWAT In Action

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of joining four other parliamentarians to put on a day long workshop in Harlingen, Texas. Lucy Anderson and Dennis Clark were the main organizers and put considerable effort into advertising, organizing, and building a PowerPoint presentation of over 100 slides. Richard Hayes, Tophas Anderson, and I assisted with the teaching.

SWAT stands for Spreading the Word Around Texas. It is designed to take the study of parliamentary procedure into areas of Texas that have been under-represented or without representation in the Texas State Association of Parliamentarians. We were especially excited by the twenty-five students from Los Fresnos High School that attended our conference. They were perky, energetic, and interested. A delightful group, and to all an inspiration.

We are hopeful that the adults who attended will agree to sit for the NAP membership exam. Once we get five members, we can form a unit -- the first in the Rio Grande valley. This is a good thing, because the area is growing economically and culturally. There are approximately 1.4 million people living between Brownsville and McAllen today. There is a need for a parliamentary unit to provide resources and education for the growing number of private associations and public bodies that are helping the Rio Grande valley grow.

The next SWAT institute will be held in Galveston on October 24th. Dennis Clark is also organizing a youth workshop in Houston on November 7th. These events are helping Texas parliamentarians make inroads into regions and population groups that have not been active. Stay tuned for the results!