A Donation–Large or Small–Makes a Big Impact: 4 Reasons to Give This Month and Year-Round
The Millennial Action Project (MAP) has had a remarkable year! At MAP we have an ambitious mission: re-establish political cooperation across party lines and defeat the polarization that is holding back our government and country. In 2018, this mission of political bridge-building has gained momentum. This political divide is being challenged by an incoming class of Millennial leaders with a desire to break through the gridlock and create policy solutions. Our team is motivated by the potential of these new leaders, and we hope you are too!
Here are four reasons to support these young leaders with a gift to MAP:
1: Millennials are a Powerful Force
2018 was a momentous year for Millennials!
This year, we saw civic engagement explode among the Millennial generation as hundreds of Millennials launched political campaigns. Thirty-two of those Congressional candidates won their election or reelection! Those candidates are now part of the 116th Congress, and new elected officials will be eligible to join our Congressional Future Caucus: the first and only bipartisan caucus for young lawmakers that engages representatives from both sides of the political aisle. MAP empowers young legislators to reach across the aisle to develop policy solutions to our nation’s toughest challenges.
Even more proof of record civic engagement among young people this year: in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections, masses of Millennials were casting early ballots — a total of 3.3 million voters aged 18–29 voted early. In September, MAP joined National Voter Registration Day and organized a Day of Action with our Future Caucus members across the country. MAP’s State Future Caucus legislators held local voter registration drives and social media awareness campaigns targeted at registering millennial voters and encouraging them to vote in the midterms. National Voter Registration Day activities helped register more than 800,000 voters.
2: Our 27 State Future Caucuses Have Big Potential in 2019
In 2018, MAP’s State Future Caucus Network expanded to 27 states. Lawmakers in these caucuses commit to engaging with each other to find cross-party solutions to move bipartisan legislation to the forefront of states’ agendas.
This year, MAP also announced that State Senator Frank LaRose (R-OH) and State Representative Caroline Simmons (D-CT) were the recipients of the organization’s first Rising Star Award. The award recognizes their outstanding leadership in enacting bipartisan legislation at the state-level, as well as the legislators’ ongoing commitment to working with their colleagues across the aisle.
Both Sen. LaRose and Rep. Simmons are members of MAP’s bipartisan Democracy Reform Task Force, a group of state representatives from across the country collaborating to advance legislation on redistricting, government accountability and access to voting. Sen. LaRose is also the co-chair of MAP’s Ohio Future Caucus, a group of legislators under the age of 45. The Ohio Future Caucus is one of 27 states in MAP’s State Future Caucus Network, a nation-wide movement where millennial legislators in state houses across the country are seeking to find common ground in an era of hyper partisanship.
3: Bipartisan Conversations are Possible
In 2018, we began a series of community conversations in Milwaukee, Wisconsin called “The Red and Blue Dialogues.” These dialogues allowed the community to hear from Wisconsin Future Caucus co-chairs and from other community members. Our last Red & Blue Dialogue was attended by nearly 100 community members. Although Wisconsin is one of the most polarized states in the country, we’ve seen community members find common ground and develop a greater capacity to engage across differences.
MAP moves forward with the vision that policy can unite us. MAP has hosted numerous panels on politics, in college spaces and political conventions, and more often that not, we hear people disagreeing with civility.
4: Without Change, the Future of Democracy is at Stake
MAP was born out of a collective frustration with the state of Congress — low approval ratings and government shutdowns stalled progress on key issues. The legislators who work with MAP have given constituents renewed hope in policymakers. But we don’t solely rely on hope — we’re actively taking steps to improve America’s democracy. This year, we formed the Democracy Reform Task Force to connect young lawmakers across state and party lines and find innovative solutions to make government more accountable, transparent, and functional. This December, the Task Force released its “States Of Democracy” report, outlining bipartisan democracy reform approaches that could be implemented on the state-level.
This year saw the largest class of Millennials ever elected to federal and state offices, creating an incredible opportunity for MAP’s work with young leaders to be bigger than ever before. These young leaders have grown up with the technology that has changed how we run everyday life and are equipped with 21st century knowledge to understand the challenges of the future and in our democracy. There’s a new era of leadership on the horizon and with your support, we can help shift the national narrative from one of divisiveness to one of unity.
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