Consultant Corner: The Powerful Force of Youth Civic Engagement

Frank Mirabal is the Founder and President of Contigo Research, Policy & Strategy, a national consulting firm that focuses on issues impacting the Latino community.

One thing we learned through the 2008 Obama campaign was the importance of youth engagement.  The mobilization of our nation's youth through advocacy groups like MoveOn, through social utilities like Facebook and through serious grassroots campaigns engaged young people in the civic process like never before. Youth voice is critical in any democracy because it provides a Socratic questioning of our nation's policies and provides a necessary idealism that counters adult bar
rier-driven thought.  In other words, youth voice has a specific resonance that cannot be reproduced by adults (because we have been somewhat jaded through our encounters). 

Nationally, youth have played a critical advocacy role in immigration reform and the Dream Act. In 2006, young people turned out in record numbers in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York to voice their concerns over immigration and the unfair treatment of immigrants. In 2007, over 300 youth from 15 states advocated for the Dream Act on Capital Hill.  Grassroots campaigns for the Dream Act also turned out significant numbers of youth.  Although immigration reform and the Dream Act did not pass, the sheer volume of youth turnout at rallies nationwide signaled a shift in youth civic engagement.   

Locally, youth in my home state of New Mexico have mobilized for; the protection of water rights on tribal lands; comprehensive sex education in our public schools; the expansion of School Based Health Centers; and for increased appropriations for engaging after-school programs.  Through effective mobilization, youth in New Mexico have been a major force in the passing of the Next Generation Act--a 2 million endowment that funds positive youth development programming; the expansion of School Based Health Centers (SBHCs)--the number of SBHCs in New Mexico doubled in 2006; and the Youth Alliance Act--which promotes youth voice and requires by state statute that the Lt. Governor and Governor meet with youth-led advocacy groups at-least once per year to hear their policy agenda.

Young people are often criticized for their need for immediate gratification--whether it be through material possessions or an insatiable need to be entertained.  Some of the criticisms are justified (our nation's young people have one of the highest obesity rates in the world).  However, young people are awakening from their civic slumber (as evidenced by the Obama campaign). In fact, youth volunteerism is growing at a much faster rate than any other segment of our national population.  Youth voice is necessary to balance our democratic process.  It is also a critical component--although often overlooked-- to any community-building, policy and advocacy strategy.  

The revolution will not be televised.......It will be You Tubed, Facebooked, mass emailed and text messaged.  And guess who will be leading the charge?      

  

Vote 18-24

The presidential pendulum can swing in either direction depending on youth turnout at the polls.  According to a story on KOB TV 4 in Albuquerque, youth voted at only a 42% rate in the 2004 presidential election.  

Vote 18, a national nonprofit was in Albuquerque on Monday to persuade the 18-24 demographic to get out and vote.  So, exactly how do you get youth out to vote?  First, I think you need to get them fired up about the issues in their community.  No young person likes siphoning the ATM machines to pay for gas.  Furthermore, young people don't need the added stress of wondering how they are gonna pay for medical bills when they see the Doctor.   Several nonprofit groups in New Mexico focus on mobilizing youth around issues that most affect them and their communities.  Groups like Young Women United, who champion comprehensive sex education. The New Mexico Youth Alliance, who partner with the Lt. Governor's Office and the Children's Cabinet to promote positive youth development throughout the state. New Mexico Civic Engagement who organize to develop engaged citizens and future community leaders.  Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) who work diligently to bring social justice issues affecting youth to the forefront.  SAGE Council who work on water rights and issues affecting Native American communities.  

The youth vote will likely navigate the course for our country in the next four years, while local youth organizing groups will continue to shape statewide policy and have an impact on our most treasured resources--our communities and our people.