YOUTH POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN AMERICA Youth Participation

YOUTH POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN AMERICA

Youth Participation “Need for Choice and a Voice!” Positive Youth Development!

Promoting positive relationships with peers Emphasizing youths’ strengths Providing opportunities to learn healthy behaviors Connecting youth with caring adults Empowering youth to assume leadership roles in programs Challenging youth in ways that build their competence

Service learning/community service Religious participation School participation Extracurricular activities (i. e. clubs, etc. ) Sports participation Artistic expression (i. e. theaters, media) Civic engagement

Impacts long-term citizenship behavior (i. e. voting) civic competence sociopolitical development Psycho-political literacy cultural sensitivity critical thinking skills ability to solve conflicts non-violently

Youth participation in a local tobacco control campaign Community gardens Small scale agriculture and cultural food production Youth radio Technology lab (photography and video action projects) Community mural Community assessment

CHANGES TO MOTIVATIONS FOR YOUTH ACTION Does this help others? Does my effort make a difference? Am Do Is I directly engaged? I trust the organization? it “cool” – do my friends do it? NOT: It is my duty

A CASE STUDY Meet Alix: She is an 18 -year old who lives in northern California. She switched shampoos over animal testing and will not buy clothes produced by child labor. She yells a those who do not recycle, and last year in high school she helped organize a protest over the genocide in the Sudan, raising $13, 000 for Darfur relief. All this was before she was even eligible to vote.

This is the largest youth led organization in the US when it comes to civil and youth rights Almost 10, 000 youth members focus on removing and lowering legal restrictions that have been placed on the youths of today in America

To engage and build political power for young people in our country Mixes popular culture and politics Registered more than 5 million young people to vote, and has become a trusted source of information MILLENNIAL GENERATION=1/4 OF THE ENTIRE ELECTORATE IN 2012

Service. Vote is a YSA’s U. S. election-year campaign to engage young people, ages 5 -25, in the political process by connecting with their peers, voters, and candidates For both voting age and non-voting age youth Challenges young people to learn more about our government and political system

Creates connections between youths and adults Focuses on youth empowerment, globalization, illegal child labor, and youth poverty

Formed in 1967 in Texas Aimed at fighting for Mexican-American Rights Involved in voter registration Goal: to achieve equality for Mexican Americans

Over 20 universities and colleges were represented for the Greater Together Youth Summit Over 140 students who were eager to learn about organizing for President Obama on their campus and attended an awesome day of training

Began in Summer 2009 Believe that young people’s voices are not being heard in the Debate over health care reform National organization representing the interests of 18 to 34 year olds

Take advantage of the power of mass media Use social networking sites Focus on youth-related issues, which are often ignored by power politics and politicians Use celebrities to expand interest in campaigns Highlight the immediacy and necessity for ACTION!!!

The number of voters in the 2008 US Presidential election tripled, even quadrupled the total number of youth votes in some states compared to the 2004 elections In the Time Magazine article “Why Young Voters Care Again. ” it was reported that Obama drew more under-30 voters in some states than all Republican candidates combined

THE GOOD NEWS IS. . . THE BAD NEWS IS WRONG Youth volunteerism – and it continues into adulthood A more assertive, activist definition of citizenship Participation continues between elections But young need to vote more: Reforms to match the new electorate, not the old electorate Parties: adopt to new voters, motivations. The result can be to strengthen democracy--making the good news even better!