An Interview with Project Patriachy's President and Founder - Madisyn Stogsdill

Recently I was so lucky to have a chat with the founder/president of Project Patriarchy herself, Madisyn! She’s not only an inspiring 16-year-old girl but also super nice. I wanted to ask her a few questions about what Project Patriarchy is all about, and to learn more about the person behind this awesome organisation.

Interview conducted by Serafina Hills.

Madisyn Stodsgill: Founder and President of Project Patriarchy

Me: Hi Madisyn!

Madisyn: Hi!

Me: So nice to talk to you!

Madisyn: Thank you! It’s so great to talk to you too!

Me: I have so many questions for you about Project Patriarchy, as the president. So first, why did you create Project Patriarchy?

Madisyn: Well.. honestly it was..I didn’t expect it happening and hadn’t previously envisioned it happening, it was a very in the moment thing. I knew I wanted to be politically involved, except as a member of the youth, I didn’t exactly know how. Around the country, and the world, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for a member of the youth that wants to be politically involved. And, because of that, I knew that there must have been other people and I just wanted to include everyone.

Me: That’s great! I really understand where you’re coming from with that, as a member of the youth myself. So, what does it mean to you and what may’ve been some of your original goals with it?

Madisyn: Project Patriarchy means a LOT to me, and all the people in it mean so much for me as well. Honestly, I don’t have a set of particular goals I want to accomplish. As long as we keep doing what we’re doing and keep showing the unmeasurable and quite frankly incredible amount of progress that we’ve made in such a short amount of time, I would be as happy as can be.

Me: Awesome! How long would you say you had previously been involved in politics and activism and what originally inspired you to get into it?

Madisyn: That’s a great question! I would say I first recognised that I wanted to be politically involved, around middle school. Throughout my entire childhood though, I remember at an early age I was just sitting and watching elections, and would be glued to the television. Whether it’s news, or presidential debates, and for some reason I was just so enamoured with it. And, it definitely did start at a very early age and it’s *laughs* obviously just going to flourish even more.

Me: Wow! It’s really great to see how passionate you are.

Madisyn: Thank you

Me: So, which political issue would you say is the most important to you?

Madisyn: That’s another good one! See as much as I love politics, there isn’t an exact area or field that I now, right now, feel comfortable in saying ‘that’s what I want to do in the future’ like ‘I’m only gonna focus on this area’. I definitely am very much passionate about just policies in general, and actually making, and showing that progress is actually carried out in the world. It doesn’t matter the area, whether humanitarian, whether economic, I believe as long as it’s something that will positively impact the human race, we need to do it. And we need to focus more upon it. Definitely with regards to Project Patriarchy, I’m really passionate about employing more youth in politics, because it’s such a huge issue that’s often ignored and we really need to tackle it.

Me: Yeah! I completely agree. With regards to America, in the future, what are some changes you would like to see?

Madisyn: Woo. *Laughs* America obviously is going through something. As much as I love it, it’s definitely, just as any other country, in need of repair a little bit. And something that needs to change I would have to say is understanding each other more, listening to the people and actually overcoming our differences. As often as our politicians say that, we don’t see a ton of action on it, and I really think we need to be down to earth and recognise that we’re all people and we’re in the same country and just the same world in general. And we need to bond over our differences and tackle problems as a whole.

Me: That's a really great point. Who would you say is your biggest role model?

Madisyn: I have too many! Honestly, both fictional and non-fictional. I remember when I first got into speech and debate, which is one of the many areas that actually helped me recognise how political I truly was, and when I first began that I discovered legally blonde. It’s now one of my favourite movies and I feel like Elle Woods is a role model not just to myself, but to everyone, especially if you’re a female who is trying to find a way in politics. And so, definitely Elle Woods! I think she’s lovely, and definitely her love for pink is something I admire.

Me: (laughs) She really inspired me too. Do you have any general goals for the future for your personal activism?

Madisyn: So, as of right now, I am pursuing a career in politics because . . . Project Patriarchy? It’s hard not to tell that, and I’m definitely shooting for law school after high school and so once I graduate I’ll be doing that. And I would love to land in Congress! And work on a national level. I think not only would that be a complete blast, but it would also just be so surreal to actually have a career that’s prefaced on what I love doing the most.

Me: Yeah! It would also be surreal to make changes, right?

Madisyn: Yes, exactly.

Me: When has been a time in your life where you’ve seen something political and it has really impacted you?

Madisyn: Well definitely as I’ve grown older, I’ve taken more interest into just watching or reading the news and actually learning more about what goes on in America. And, something that’s really impacted me, when I was first starting Project Patriarchy, I did some underlying research, because our mission is to encourage more youth within politics, and so naturally, I felt the need to be worried about such an obviously just dire situation that needs to be considered. And so, as I did more research, I realised that the amount of youth that are interested in actually making change within the world, compared to older generations is drastically decreasing. And the fact that the youth are left to tackle huge issues, such as climate change and equality. Literally anything, you name it, and the fact that we are left to tackle those, except many of us don’t want to or aren’t even interested in doing that, really makes me worried for the country as we know it. That would definitely be a huge event. Or, just an area that increased my knowledge that still affects me.

Me: Do you have any opinions on the age of current politicians? And how we could possibly change this?

Madisyn: See that is a tricky one, because we have a lot of politicians within the United States that are obviously not of most recent generations, and part of that is because they’re more experienced, they’re more seasoned politicians. They’ve done their work, they’ve gone through their education. But, there’s quite a few that haven’t exactly worked as hard and they have become politicians because they have the funds, or resources to climb the ladder much faster than other people. And, I definitely believe we need to make space for younger politicians, especially since, most often, they're the ones actually being impacted way more than the older ones. And we need more change, and we need more beliefs in open mindsets within our government definitely. Because there’s also a lot of politicians that are close minded and they’re stuck in their ways, and as the world grows, so will politics, and so will the ways that we respond to them. And more exposure definitely needs to be focused and given, to the fact that we aren’t providing equal opportunities to every person who wants to have a political career.

Me: Yep that’s so important! Have you yourself seen much stigma for politics in people our age?

Madisyn: Yes, all the time!! And I see it directed towards myself, even as I created Project Patriarchy, and, whenever you say that you’re a young age, lots of people assume that ‘Oh, it's just a phase’ or ‘they aren’t actually interested, they think they know everything’. And I am not saying I know everything! *Laughs* One of the most important things about my age is that I’m constantly learning new things and I completely recognise that, and I love it. I love soaking up more information as everyday goes by. However, one of the most common occurrences of stigma would just be underestimation, and so oftentimes, I don’t like to tell people that I am sixteen, as of yesterday actually! And I don’t really enjoy to bring light to the fact that I’m younger than a lot of the people that I’m either collaborating with or recruiting/onboarding or anything of the sorts. Because when I do that, they come with their own bias and their own thoughts of who I’m going to be, and what I think and know, and once they meet me, more often than not, or I would like to think, those biases are pushed away and no longer existing.

"I think one of the most empowered, as well as important responsibilities of being a civilian, or a constituent, is actually recognising the fact that you can create change in your everyday life. "

Me: Yes. Do you think that it is important for as many people as possible to get into politics, or, in small ways I mean?

Madisyn: I think one of the most empowered, as well as important responsibilities of being a civilian, or a constituent, is actually recognising the fact that you can create change in your everyday life. No matter how big, or how small. And I believe it’s so, so important for everyone to do that very action in whatever way that they believe fit. Whether that’s contacting your senator over a piece of legislation that you really want implemented and really believe in, or just volunteering for political organisations, spreading news that you think is important amongst your family, friends, or neighbours, and especially voting if you’re old enough to do that. And I know there’s no major elections occurring right now but recognising that one of your many responsibilities as a civilian is to partake in political action is the first step to a long journey of a better life for all.

Me: Yeah! I agree completely. Has there been any time you’ve felt unsure of yourself in your political actions because of the biases you may have faced?

Madisyn: Well, it’s human nature, all the time. Except there was some quote I read somewhere and it basically reminded you that everyone doubts themselves, even the greatest of the great doubt themselves now and then and that’s actually just showing you that you are constantly looking for ways to better yourself and your actions and who you are as a person. And every time I have a sneaky suspicion or just worry over ‘What if I can’t do this?’, ‘What if I can’t make this?’, ‘What if it all falls through?’. Then I collect myself together and I realise that I don’t need to doubt it because as long as you stand for it and as long as you believe that you can do it, you can. And that’s the end of it all.

Me: That’s so inspiring!

Madisyn: Thank you! It’s my life motto.

Me: How do your family and friends respond to your political action?

Madisyn: See I have never been more politically active until this year, or I guess now it would be last year, and I was very happy and thankful that I finally recognised that I have, once again that civil action that I mentioned before, and that I recognised that I can make change in politics just by speaking up for what I believe in. But I’m also saddened that I didn’t realise it until very recently. But my friends and my family and everyone within my life have been very supportive and I would like to think that by me becoming increasingly political, it’s rubbed a bit off on the people that I spend most time with. And so, that’s definitely been one of the major bonuses of it!

Me: What is one book, or anything you’ve read, that has helped you realise the change you can make?

Madisyn: I actually have it right here! Let me grab it real quick. So one of my goals for this year was to read more about politics in general and also just read! But there’s this book and it’s called "What you should know about politics but don't" and especially if you’re a beginner activist, or you’re more seasoned like myself, it’s just always nice to actually have a book, or anything, that broadens your knowledge about a subject that you might think you know more about than anyone else, but in reality none of us know everything! And so once again it’s always good to learn. And this book specifically goes over some of the most basic of the basics. It goes over the economy, policies, elections, the electoral college, education, and trade, every area about politics that you could ever imagine, and it actually kinda dumbs it down a little bit. And it offers a more broadened as well as unbiased perspective of actually the more in-depth situations regarding this, and so I would definitely recommend that to anyone! Especially if you want to step into politics but you’re a little scared.

Me: That sounds great! I’ll add it to my list. Final question, is there any particular trait that you think is really important for someone to have when getting into politics?

Madisyn: One trait? That’s a lot of pressure. Probably pereservance. There’s going to be a lot of challenges, whether you just want to be a surface level activist or have a political career or be president! There’s going to be a lot of challenges, except there’s going to be a lot of opportunities that come with overcoming those challenges also. And so, you at every given moment, need to be able to recognise your self worth, what you can do with that, and who you are. And as long as you stay true to yourself, as well as the ways that you respond to those very challenges, or whatever life throws at you, you will be so so fine with any pathway.

Yeah! Well, thank you so much. It’s been so great and insightful to talk to you and learn a little more.

Madisyn: Thank you so much! It was so great talking to you too, I can’t wait to see this posted!

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It was so great to talk to Madisyn and learn more about her and the amazing organisation she started, and I hope you all enjoyed it too!