By Scott Warren, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Generation Citizen
It’s hard not to be disillusioned by our country’s political system right now. Elected officials in Washington spend more time sniping at each other than passing bills, and the presidential campaign stories revolve around twitter spats and finger pointing. While Americans in communities across the country are hungry for progress, politicians seem more interested in sound bites and earning political points. So what’s the solution? For many, it seems, divorcing from the political process, and figuring out how to make change outside of the system, has become the way forward.
But Generation Citizen (GC) believes that the best, and potentially only way, to improve our political process is to get more political. It’s easy to blame politicians for the seemingly entrenched problems we face, from climate change to an unequal educational system. We need to look inwards. How can we, as citizens, take back our country? How can we force politicians to enact the change we need to actually start to solve these seemingly endless problems? GC believes we can create a “better politics,” as the President recently urged in his State of the Union address, by educating young people to be active political citizens. Our ultimate mission is for every young person in this country to receive an effective action civics education, preparing them with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective political citizens. Young people can create a positive voice for politics. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of GC, I'm proud to support Envision's Chase the Race 2016. This effort is proving that young people can be that positive voice.
At GC we do not promote youth political engagement just to better prepare young people for the future - we do it because their opinions matter today. Young people have unique approaches to community problems that adults can't always recognize. They understand the root causes of issues that impact them every day. We need young people to speak up, to vote, to actively participate, if we really want to have an impact on issues like gun violence, inequality and housing.
Young people involved in Chase the Race 2016 are exploring issues that matter to them, making their voices heard, and practicing effective communication. They're learning that, whether or not they are old enough to vote in this election, they have an important role to play, that their opinions matter, and that they can help to change things for the better. Leading up to the 2016 election, we can't wait to see how the young people involved in Chase the Race 2016 help to make a “better politics.” But we need all young people, not just those who consider politics a hobby, or those who are old enough to vote, to participate. Read up on the issues, talk with friends, family and classmates. Figure out what you're passionate about. And then make your voice heard. Be that positive voice for politics.
background-image: a building with the American flag in front of it