Read an Article by Barbara A. Brown - "How to Make a Change: Civic Engagement"
Focusing on Youth Issues and Initiatives
How to Make a Change: Civic Engagement
(Focusing on Youth Issues and Initiatives)
By: Barbara A Brown
Clemson University Extension
4-H Military Liaison &, Operation Military Kids Director
Laboratory for Deliberative Dialogue Director
Sumter League of Women Voters, Vice President
I received an email invitation on July 1, 2011 to attend a forthcoming youth focused civic engagement panel discussion at the White House., and to call into a conference call on July 2nd about the Young American’s Initiative. President Obama joined the call, both to encourage those on the call to continue their civic engagement work and to continue to talk to people about the issues that one cares about.
A 5 July 2011 White House meeting was scheduled to fall, on the 40th anniversary of the certification of the 26th amendment giving 18 year olds the right to vote. I was among about 130 young people ages 18 – 28, maybe five to ten “youth allies†like myself (people over 45), and another ten to fifteen middle or high school youths who attended the invitational White House panel discussion on making a change through civic engagement. A congressman from New Orleans, a lawyer specializing in civil rights and LGBT issues, a senior White House education advisor, and the head of a non-profit civic advocacy group, Young Invincibles, made up the panel. Jon Carlson, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement welcomed everyone. After a few opening remarks by the panelists and Kalpen Modi, deputy director of public engagement, he and the panelist took questions from the audience for about an hour and a half.
As part of the Young American’s Initiative elementary, high school, and college students convened, participated, and reported on 384 youth forums and roundtables between February and May, held to discuss issues youths identified as being of national importance. Roundtable conveners sent the discussion results to the White House Office of Public Engagement. South Carolina military youth participated in such roundtables at Operation Military Kids (OMK) events, and the results of some of these OMK forums were also sent to the White House. This feedback resulted in an invitation for the OMK Director to the White House youth civic engagement discussion.
The SC report sent to the White House shared that SC OMK youths talked about the challenges they faced as military children, but also spoke of problems they and their friends had with education, job opportunities, and violence. They spoke of their mistrust of politicians, corporate executives, and the media. One young girl in one forum seemed to sum up the group frustration, “America is all jacked-up,†she said.
In a National Issues Forum (see www.nifi.org) on Americans’ Role in the World a young 14 year old from Ft. Jackson said, “I think the American military is the only institution that can solve the world’s major problems. You know, we’re Army Strong,†he said. He thought for a minute and then asked, “But would we still have a democracy if we depended on the military to solve all our problems.†He and the other military youth that have participated in the SC OMK deliberative democracy programs think they and their neighbors can partner with the military to solve such problems. Operation Military Kids is a partnership of the military, the Department of Defense and land-grant universities and American communities. OMK youths are resilient and fully believe, as part of this partnership, they can change the world.
The President, White House staff, panelist and participants of the July 5, 2011 “How to Make a Change†White House event agree, “You’re a generation that knows how to get stuff done, and you know how to share information with each other,†stated Jon Carson, White House Office of Public Engagement Director. “You all really can make a difference; there are people who are listening,†Carson concluded.
Young Americans “Your Future – Your Solutions“ Most Important Issues:
1. Education - 26% (dark blue on the right moving clockwise)
2. Violence and Violent Crime - 15% (red)
3. Jobs, the Economy, and Fiscal Issues - 13% (green)
4. Health - 10% (purple)
5. Public Service, Community Development, & Social Services - 10% (aqua)
6. Energy, Environment, and Sustainability – 9% (orange)
7. Foreign Affairs – 9% (light blue)
8. Civic and Community Engagement – 8% (pink)
Additional High-Trending Conversation Topics: Drugs and Alcohol, Bullying, Disconnected Youth, Family Structure and Family Involvement, Infrastructure, Rehabilitation of Youth and Criminal /Felony Records, Transportation, Youth Homelessness, and Immigration |
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