Engage Beyond — the Kids Are Alright and the Future Is Blue
Today I’m excited to announce the beginning of a new project I’ll be undertaking: #EngageBeyond. California needs to lead from the left, and the exuberance of the young, progressive left will be fundamental to that effort.
#EngageBeyond seeks to empower young voters to get involved — and make a difference — within the Democratic Party. As progressives, we believe in always looking to the future; that means involving those who have the most stake in that future, and in ways that are appropriate for them. Millennials are one of the most consistently blue demographics — if only we had voted, Clinton would have won in a landslide.
The numbers are clear: the future of the Democratic Party is young. However, the Democratic Party fails to resonate with many young progressives, coming across as either pandering and tone deaf or unambitious and centrist. It is absolutely critical that the Democratic Party modernize its outreach to younger voters, but it is equally important that millennial participation in politics be supported and fostered, as we are the future of the party.
At the Democratic Party State Convention, only 22% of registered delegates were under 40. Just imagine what those numbers look like for the under 30 crowd.
State Senator Holly Mitchell understands the importance of this outreach, and that’s why she hosted #EngageBeyond — a panel centered around engaging younger voters and activists.
When I first met State Senator Mitchell, we had a fruitful conversation about the massive gulf between generations. One America remembers a world of home ownership, economic promise, affordable college, and newspapers. My America knows little beyond perpetual renting, a gig-based economy, crippling student debt and social media.
These gaps and more give younger voters an entirely different frame of reference. We are the internet generation, the mobile generation, the meme generation. It’s time the Democratic Party learned how to engage us.
On that front, #EngageBeyond will be holding panels where high school and college students can voice their concerns, express their needs, and influence the modes of communication the Democratic Party uses going forward.
However, merely communicating with younger voters isn’t enough. Many Democratic politicians simply aren’t aligned with the values younger voters hold dear.
That won’t change without a fight, and young voters should be on the front lines of those fights. However, too many barriers to entry currently keep them from being actively involved in traditional, more established forms of political activism.
We need to make it affordable, convenient, and comfortable for young activists to get directly involved in the local organizations which influence the Democratic Party, and that starts with Democratic Clubs.
In addition, the Democratic Party needs to accept the new methods of activism that millennials have taken to. Activists like Shaun King have rethought the way citizens can impact our country’s laws and policies, and we need to embrace and support crowd-sourced and social media based activism.
The left needs to engage young voters if it intends to get their votes in large enough numbers to remain relevant. #EngageBeyond is about working to make sure the Democratic Party speaks to the issues that matter to young voters, and break down those barriers that keep younger activists from getting involved.
Stay tuned for more details, and contact me on Facebook or via e-mail (mattias.lehman@gmail.com) if you’d like to be involved.
